The Girl Who Fell From the Sky
by MadameLeQueen
Summary: They both thought there was a ghost flitting around their house. Little did they know, the two were merely worlds apart and meant to clash one day. When she finds herself in that predicament, she must force herself to learn in order to survive. KakashixOC
1. Sounds

**The Girl Who Fell From the Sky**

**Chapter 1: Sounds**

A creak in the room grasped his attention.

The copycat nin's eyes snapped open at the soft, but loud sound. He stayed still on his bed, his dark eyes concentrating on one point of the room as his ears strained to listen for the quiet creaks and groans his little house gave. Another creak made him rise from the warmth of his bed.

Hatake Kakashi, in his half-nakedness and blue-white stripped boxers, got to his feet. He ignored the chillness of the wooden floors as it seeped through the heat of his feet. He caught a groan as he lifted himself off the bed, not wanting to give away any hints that he was conscious. As he made way out of his room, his hand touched the desk next to the door.

_Creak, creak, thud._

He stopped dead, breathing rhythmically as he strained himself to find a presence. He did, but it was nothing he recognized. It had nothing of the feel like chakra. It was different, alien to his mind, body and soul. Kakashi moved down the hallway, making a left until he ended up in his living room.

Mismatched eyes scanned the area.

_Thudthudthudthud!_

Whirling around, Kakashi held his hands out in an offensive pose, crouching low to quickly evade any attack that was meant for him. The jounin hovered there on the floor for a moment or two, eyes darting from side to side as he tried to sense for the intruder. The collection of saliva in his mouth was swallowed loudly. Kakashi straightened and frowned.

He did feel something was there, but it wasn't chakra.

It was something peculiar.

Someone knocked at his door, forcing him out of his train of thoughts. He sighed, stretching his arms over his head and allowed those languid muscles to move around a bit. The knockings on the door were insistent, and the cries of anger and annoyance verified that the people beyond his door were his students. Kakashi straightened, walking towards his door when-

_Thud, thud, thud, creak…_

Without hesitating, he crouched down. He bent his legs and ran around the house, determined to get the rat. There was no way that it was a rodent, and there was no way that it was one of his students playing a prank on him. It was too quick, subtle and low.

"Kakashi-sensei! We know you're in there, we heard you running inside!" Naruto's voice echoed from every corner of the house.

Coming to a stop, Kakashi stood to his full height. The sounds were gone and there was no clue for him to follow. The air didn't move, the wooden floors didn't creak, the sounds didn't come once more: there was simply nothing. Sighing, the copy-nin placed his kunai on a nearby table before walking towards the front door.

Three faces greeted him at his doorstep.

The female of the team grimaced before looking away. "Kakashi-sensei, you should put some more clothes on." Regardless if three males in her team were basically like family, it did nothing to squash the appropriate behavior they should elude. Standing at the doorstep of her teacher's home and seeing him in nothing but his boxers was not a sight she would like to see.

Naruto wasn't even fazed by his teacher's half-nakedness. "Kakashi-sensei, obaasan has a new mission for us!"

"A mission?" Kakashi questioned. He scratched the back of his head, confused by the sudden appearance of a mission. If he was correct, today was his day off. His head turned and took a look at the clock, noticing that the short arm was pointed at twelve.

The dark-haired boy who stood at the doorstep sighed, irritated with the loudness of Naruto's voice to hurry his teacher, the squeals of disbelief from his female teammate and the slowness of his teacher. "Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke started, turning heel to walk away from his house. "You might want to hurry else the Hokage will be more than upset."

Kakashi held in a groan before nodding to his students. "I will meet you there in fifteen minutes." Without even waiting for their responses, he shut the door in their faces and sauntered towards the kitchen. Of course he wouldn't be there till thirty minutes or so; unless it was very important that the Godaime had to cancel his day off. His face stilled.

Quickly, he changed into his Jounin uniform, downing a cup of coffee before making his way to the door. His hand lingered on the doorknob, an eye staring at the golden metal as his ears pricked at the possibility of hearing the foreign being within the interior of his house.

There was nothing.

Not a moment later, he stood before the Godaime with his three students besides him. As the busty blond woman talked with seriousness lacing in her words, Kakashi's lazy eye drawled on his students, amazed at how the years had treated them.

At the ages of seventeen, they were strong, noble and wise, despite their child-like personalities and squabbles. Sakura studied under Tsunade, Naruto with Jiraiya and Sasuke with Kakashi. Though there had been moments where the curse seal had awakened, Sasuke managed to keep it underneath control and train to use his power rather than the one Orochimaru had gifted him.

The bonds between the three had strengthened into something Kakashi never found imaginable.

"Hatake, are you listening?" Tsunade's voice ripped Kakashi away from his thoughts.

"Hm?" He grunted, blinking sleepily.

"I want Team Kakashi to travel to the Northern part of the Stone Village and search for a hideout. There have been numerous reports of Orochimaru being seen within that area. Recently, there haven't been any sightings of the snake." Tsuande started.

"Iwagakure?" Sakura questioned, completely confused by the location. "What does Iwagakure have that Orochimaru wants?"

"I don't know. That's why I want Team Kakashi to do a thorough investigation with the villagers before attempting to head straight for the hideout, which is near the rocky terrains of the mountains at the latitude and longitude of 36°4'N, 138°10'E. When you're there, I want you to take extra precaution. Sasuke," Tsunade's golden eyes turned to him, smirking when he straightened his posture a tad bit. "There is no doubt that Orochimaru will try and lure you into his grasp. Fight it."

At his nod, she leaned back against her chair.

"If there are prisoners, use your best judgment if they can be saved or not. Terminate any threats. If you do encounter Orochimaru or Kabuto," Tsunade paused, her eyebrows furrowing at the thought. "If you do come across them or Akatsuki, flee."

"_What?_"Naruto yelled. "But obaasan-!"

"No, Naruto." Tsunade shook her head. "It's too much of a risk. There is both you and Sasuke. I'm not willing to lose two shinobi's." She waved her hand, excusing them from her presence. "That is all. You leave within an hour."

Sakura nodded, giving her teacher a friendly nod. She immediately grabbed Naruto by the ear and walked out the door as he screamed the unfairness of the mission, throwing words about the old hag and barely missed a flying sake bottle on the way out.

"Naruto, you wanted a mission, here it is!" Sakura reprimanded.

He groaned, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked away, throwing a mini-tantrum. "It's not even a mission! That snake bastard is out there, and she just wants us to leave him alone?" Naruto grunted, fisting his hands in his hair. "I want to kill that bastard!"

"Stop it with your yelling, you're not helping the situation." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the blond boy, irked by not only Naruto's screaming but also Tsunade's orders. He also wanted to deliver a very painful visit to the man who left him an excruciating gift. Naruto's final yell interrupted Sasuke's thoughts of his brother.

"Argh!" Naruto calmed down, twitching his nose. "I'll meet you guys at the Northern entrance." His hands shoved into his pockets and he went on with his way.

Sasuke nodded to Sakura and Kakashi before leaving. "In an hour, I'll be there."

Sakura sighed, looking up to her teacher. "Kakashi-sensei-"

He held his hand up, stopping her from continuing. "You know why Naruto's like that." His half-lidded eye slid towards his female student, watching as she frowned in concern before chewing on her lip. "The brotherly bond between Sasuke and Naruto was almost sliced due to Orochimaru. If Sasuke succeeded in leaving, Naruto would've been left in devastation."

Sakura hesitated before nodding. She remembered the day as if it were yesterday. When she couldn't stop Sasuke from leaving the village, Naruto succeeded.

They clashed heads at The Valley of the End, screamed and fought head on and were nearly left unconscious till her teacher arrived.

The words that were conversed between the blond and the dark-haired one to convince him to stay within the Leaf Village were kept between the two. And that was when Sakura truly recognized Naruto's strength.

If anyone can't do it, Naruto can do it.

"Hm," Sakura smiled fondly at the thought of her two teammates. "I'll see you at the gates, sensei!"

Kakashi sighed, turning heel to prepare for a mission that might threaten Team Seven. His eyes hardened at the thought.

Though Sasuke basically has more control of the curse seal there breeding within him was the thirst for revenge. The fire within him that was still consuming his train of thought, continued to grow throughout the years and years within the Leaf Village. Kakashi allowed Naruto and Sakura to dwell on the naïve thought of Sasuke's loyalty. But even as his teacher, there was still the possibility that Sasuke would go with the snake.

Sighing, he walked within his house, preparing the necessities he would need for the six-day trip. They would need to cross Kusagakure, the Hidden Village of the Grass, in order to reach Iwagakure.

Kakashi paused in his packing. It would be tricky, especially if Akatsuki had any missions of their own in those countries.

_Creak, thud, thud, thud, thud, slam!_

The hair on his arms rose eerily. As Kakashi turned around, his hand pulled up his headband, revealing the red eye to whatever was there.

He saw nothing.

A sigh escaped his lips. His fingers nimbly pulled down the headband. The nin continued packing, muttering beneath his breath about rabid squirrels and supernatural beings.

It seemed as if there was a ghost wandering about.

* * *

><p>Chinatsu stood still in the kitchen, clutching the front of herself with a death grip as she listened to the angry, hard thuds echoing within the empty house. It continued for the next full thirty seconds. Her brown eyes were impossibly wide, darting from corner to corner of the kitchen as she heard an invisible object placed onto the table next to her.<p>

Seconds later, a sound of a door closing resonated through the walls.

After that, there was nothing.

The poor girl wasted no time. She choked on her spit, springing down the hallway, up the stairs and darted within her room. She shut the door and threw herself on her bed and underneath the blankets. She wrapped the suffocating blankets around her despite the humid, desert-like weather. Chinatsu sobbed when she noticed she didn't have her cellphone.

Her arm squeezed from underneath the blanket and waved around for the cellphone on the dresser, knocking down some items in the process. When her fingers made contact, she immediately retracted her hand and speed dialed her mom.

"Moshi, moshi?"

"Mom!" Chinatsu screamed into her phone, ignoring the angry voice of her mother about her loud volume. "Mom, there's a ghost in the house!"

"_Ehhh? Chinatsu, what are you speaking about?" _Her mother said in Japanese, completely confused by the English language her daughter was speaking in.

"Speak English, mom, I don't understand what you're saying. But hurry up, there's a ghost!" Chinatsu screeched, sweating from the lack of oxygen and thick, goose-feathered blanket.

"_Akane, take the phone and listen to your sister. Her voice is hurting my ears." _

Chinatsu heard the exchange between her younger sister and mother, ignoring them and continued to yell as she drew herself into a tighter ball. "Hurry back home!"

"Chinatsu, stop screaming." Her sister younger, Akane, scolded. "And what are you talking about? Why do you want us to hurry home?"

"There's a ghost!"

A fumble with the phone was heard along with her mother's questioning. _"She's just being stupid, mom." _Akane groaned, cursing in English, but unable to get away with it due to her mother's knowledge in the 'English bad words'. _"But, what about my recital? No, she's not getting kidnapped, mom, she's just being stupid. She thinks there's a ghost in the house! Right? She's just-"_

"Chinatsu, stoop bee stupid-doo!" Her mother snapped in her broken English.

"Mom," Chinatsu sobbed in utter frustration. "Speak English!"

"_Ahh! Chinatsu, we have thirty more minutes. Your sister's violin recital's still going. You're twenty-two years old, you're old enough to take care of yourself, why are you acting foolish?" _

Chinatsu sniffled, shivering from the ghost that had ventured in her house. "…I only understood one word and that was violin. Why is it taking so long? It's already 9:30 at night! Akane's violin crap is taking way too long!"

"_Don't say '_crap'_! You know I don't tolerate curse words! We're going to take thirty more minutes and we'll be home soon." _

"Mom?" Chinatsu held the cellphone away from her ear to see that the call had ended. She moaned, throwing the phone away from her before cuddling deeper within her bed.

Despite Chinatsu being a twenty-two year old college student, still living with her single mother, the fact that there was a ghost roaming around her house terrified her. She was even a nurse, trained and worked at a nearby hospital just two miles from her house. Scientific facts and reasoning's did nothing to squelch the sounds that were literally in front of her.

The college student nurse groaned, closing her eyes tight as she attempted to force herself asleep. She should've gone to her younger sister's stupid recital. If she did, she wouldn't have witnessed a supernatural being.

Before she knew it, Chinatsu was out like a light bulb.

"Come on, wake up, shithead."

Chinatsu groaned, throwing her arms to avoid another slap to her buttocks. She mumbled incoherent words, blearily blinking to take away the blurriness of her vision. "Whaa?"

Akane groaned, slapping her sister's butt once again, relishing in the yelp. "Come on, lazy ass, get up! It's already ten in the morning!"

Chinatsu sat up and stretched. "When did you guys come back last night?"

"Oh, around ten fifteen cause of your stupid ass." Akane sat on the edge of Chinatsu's bed, sulking as she pouted. "Yusuke said he wanted to take me out to eat after the recital, but mom wouldn't let me because she thought that someone else was in the house."

The elder sister felt the sharp glare from her younger sister and winced. "Oh, sorry, but dude, I heard a ghost in the house!"

Akane frowned in doubt. "Really?"

As Chinatsu explained about the previous night, Akane's eyebrows slowly inched up her forehead. "You don't take drugs do you? Cause you still has one more semester to go till you graduate-"

"No, Akane, it's real!" Chinatsu held out her hands to her sister. "Look at my arms, they're trembling."

Her sixteen-year old sister actually took a good, long look at her arms. "If, and I say if, you did see a ghost, then there should be some evidence left behind. Like, you said it sounded like something was placed on the dining room table, right?" At Chinatsu's nod, Akane continued. "Well, if that's true than there must've been some scratch left there. Unless, it was a dream."

"It wasn't a dream!"

"Then there should be some mark!"

Akane quickly walked out of the room with Chinatsu at her heel. She watched her sister peer at the polished mahogany table with squinting eyes.

"There's nothing."

"_What are you guys doing?" _Their mother waltzed into the kitchen, peering within the rice maker before closing the top.

"_I was trying to see whether or not if Chinatsu's taking drugs." _Akane replied drolly.

The fifty-something-year old woman rolled her eyes at her younger daughter's sarcasm. "You're sister not take drugs."

Chinatsu narrowed her eyes at Akane. "Can you stop taking about me in Japanese? I can't understand squat."

"Oh, Chinatsu," The mother approached the fridge, opening it and peering inside for a sweetened Asian drink. "You need take Japanese lesson."

"Nan-daaay?" Chinatsu said with a heavy English Accent. "Mom, I don't want to take Japanese."

Akane snorted. "You're Japanese, Chinatsu, you should learn your homeland language, it's embarrassing." She approached her mother who gave a stern frown to the eldest. "You're a white-washed Japanese-American, at least learn a few words or sentences that'll suffice survival in Japan."

"No," Chinatsu said. "I don't want to learn Japanese. For Christ's sake, I live in California. I don't need to know Japanese if I live here. I'm not gonna even live or go to Japan. That bastard lives there."

"_Chinatsu!"_ Her mother's expression turned dark.

"Connie. Connie! Call me Connie, mom, the rest of my class and friends does." Chinatsu shrieked when her mother slapped the back of her head hard. "What was that for?"

"_You are not going to use an American name, Chinatsu. Be proud of your Japanese heritage. Akane took the advantage of her high school and took a Japanese class. She's fluent in it! Why don't you want to learn Japanese? Just because your father left us poor, hungry and homeless doesn't mean that you have to take it out on your own blood. Even if he had another family and basically left us for dead. Even if he is a sorry son of a-"_

"_Okay, mom!" _Akane's eyes widened at the sight of her mother gnashing her teeth. "Geez, Chinatsu, you never fail to bring back bad memories."

"I should just move out." Chinatsu groaned, throwing herself on one of the chairs of the dining room.

Akane snorted. "Fat chance. You know mom doesn't want you to leave until you're married."

Chinatsu grunted from her slouched position on the table, cheek pressed against the cool surface of it as her eyes lingered upon the polished table. Her hand came up and lightly brushed the fingers upon top.

Perhaps it was just her imagination due to sleepless nights from working on impossible assignments, completing mandatory volunteer hours at the hospital and working her afternoon hours at the surgeon's ward and R.N. unit. The stress of everything, including how her mother wanted to learn Japanese now, was unbearable.

A sigh escaped from her lips. She'll just have to confirm it as a dream.

After all, ghosts aren't scientifically real.

* * *

><p>I haven't read Naruto in so long, so feel free to correct me whenever you feel possible. I actually did a little research on the geographical map of Naruto world. As you can see, Kakashi will seehear/etc Chinatsu in the morning and Chinatsu will see/hear/etc Kakashi at night.

I have the story planned out and am quite excited to start! (:

Here, you have Chinatsu, 22-year-old college student in her last year and ready to graduate as an R.N. nurse. She's a WHITE WASHED Japanese-American, living in California and does not know an ounce of Japanese to save her life LOL. Keep in mind that not all 22-year olds are mature and ready to work. Three fourths of them are actually quite the opposite of what you would imagine lol.

I had a tough time with the title and summary. At first I was going to name this story "Lucid Dreams". It means, and I got this from wiki: "_A dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming. In a lucid dream, the dreamer can actively participate in and manipulate imaginary experiences in the dream environment. Lucid dreams can seem real and vivid."_ But then I thought about it and Chinatsu isn't going to be dreaming about Kakashi. She will be experiencing everything that is **real** with him. I thought about "Cosmic Love", but it's a bit too cheesy, and whatnot. I thought about "The Girl Who Fell From the Sky", because Chinatsu literally comes out of nowhere LOL, but nah.

I think "The Crow and the Butterfly" does well. Not only do I like the title, but I like the song which is sung by Shinedown. Pretty sad, but beautiful.

"_Just like a crow chasing a butterfly…" _

Thus, I changed the title (: I was inspired by _Blade Redwind_'s story "A Time in Sinch", which basically had Kakashi's codename as Crow. And Chinatsu's name means 'a thousand summers', which reminds me of numerous butterflies flying through, therefore the title was pretty good x)) But then again, I might change it if left unsatisfied LOL. I might even change the summary later xD

Actually, I'm changing the title LOL. Thus, The Girl Who Fell From the Sky is born (:

Kakashi didn't know what to do when he saw the ghost that was occupying his house was here in the flesh, warm to the touch.

Feel free to tell me about how you feel with the story. I thought I was too concentrated with Chinatsu and didn't put enough with Kakashi and co. Maybe it's because I'm way too used to making my own characters, lol. If you feel that their OOC, do please tell x)

Want to see my own work? Visit me at fictionpress. Author name: SacreBleu


	2. Silhouette

**Chapter 2: Silhouette**

"Raikiri!"

Kakashi ran at the enemy with speed that challenged a cheetah, feeling the chirping of his technique echoing throughout his surroundings. Dirt flew in the air from his quick feet, air rushing past his ears in a loud cacophony, challenging the sound of the electricity at the palm of his hand. His duo colored eyes targeted Orochimaru's experiment, keeping the grey-colored human paralyzed.

Before Kakashi could reach the man with the activated curse seal, the human experiment fell at a faint. Traces of the curse seal receded into the three-dotted spiral at the flesh between the neck and shoulder.

The sparking electricity dwindled into nothing as Kakashi slowed to a stop. His half-lidded eyes stared at the man, watching with calm eyes as a gush of blood exited the mouth in a rapid pace. The kunai that Naruto threw punctured the lung, causing the man to drown internally.

Someone landed besides him.

Sakura breathed heavily, feeling her muscles groan with overuse. Her hand lifted and a finger pressed a button to the small technology wrapped around her neck. "The east is covered. Naruto, Sasuke, what about you?"

A static was heard before Naruto's panting was literally in her ear.

"West side is-" Before Naruto knew it, a painful punch made him flew a few trees over.

"Sakura!" Kakashi reprimanded.

A hot blush covered her face despite her pinkened cheeks from exhaustion. "He breathed really, really gross in my ear, Kakashi-sensei!" She whined, moving the palm of her hand over her ear repeatingly to get rid of the hot breath that wafted over her ear.

Sasuke ignored the three, his dark eyes concentrated on the stone dome, which lay before their eyes. The bodies littered on the ground did nothing to squelch the feeling of rising brittle fury rushing through his veins. The desire to dash forth and mutilate the man who made his life into the very meaning of pain and distrust was immensely terrifying to those who stared at him straight in the eye. His fists unconsciously clenched, feeling the need to streak over the dead bodies when suddenly he felt someone's heavy gaze on him.

He slid his eyes from the dome to his teacher, immediately noticing the man's judging eyes. Sasuke forced himself to calm down, breathing in slow breathes and sliding his eyes close. "Stop your screaming. Let's go."

Sakura immediately shushed, throwing her narrow eyes to her dark-haired teammate. The childish, selfish love she held for him dwindled as maturity enhanced her body, mind and soul, turning it into a love she held equal to Naruto and Kakashi.

When she noticed the slight telltale twitching the corner of Sasuke's lip, she turned to Kakashi, telling that he had already noticed. "Sasuke, I think it's best if you stayed."

"No." Sasuke snapped, switching on his Sharingan. "The villagers said that there might be a possibility of Orochimaru walking along this path. From what we have seen, he wasn't there at all, which entails that he already knows we are here. We must cover all grounds of the hideout in order to try and-"

"And what?" Kakashi mumbled, putting his hands into his pockets before closing his eyes. "You heard what the Hokage ordered us to do. If we come in contact with Orochimaru, Kabuto or the Akatsuki, we flee."

Naruto came back from the mini-crater is body created from Sakura's brutal punch, rubbing his glowing red cheek. "Kakashi-sensei, why can't we fight him? I mean, it's not like we can't do it. It's a four against two!"

"A legendary sannin." Sakura informed.

"Naruto, for once, is right. Orochimaru's at his most vulnerable-!" Sasuke started before he was brusquely cut off.

Kakashi's stance tightened, stiffening to a point where it demanded obedience silently. "No, we will not engage Orochimaru or Kabuto. Is that clear?" His voice deepened, daring his students to go up against him. When the grim and annoying faces of Sassuke and Naruto, and Sakura's quick nod made him satisfied, Kakashi turned his face towards the dome. "Remember, avoid them. It's a search for information mission. Let's go."

The four-man cell darted towards the dome, skipping over the dead bodies. The moment they raided the area, the four split relying on the radio that was attached on their neck.

"Sakura, North. Sasuke, West. Naruto, East. I'll take the South." Kakashi ordered. Two more bodies of experiments hit the floor as he dashed down the hallway, blood splattered on his clothes.

Making three shadow clones, Kakashi began to throw each door open, taking each room in detail to his lone Sharingan so that he wouldn't miss anything that can serve as information to their village.

He went through fifteen rooms before coming to a suspicious area. The red eye swirled lazily, studying the same colored, design, brick and grain from one side to the other. His eyes slightly narrowed when he noticed something off.

There was a crack, a very slim crack to one brick.

Kakashi frowned, lifting his hand up to trace the opened crevice only to find it widening. Pushing it further, he realize that the brick shifted with a click, moving on it's own from that point with the other bricks shifting and clicking on the left side. The wall produced a stairway descending into a dark pit. The darkness was immediately vanquished when fire flared on the wall, hovering in one place to make the walk down more comfortable.

Slowly, he walked down when he realized there were no traps. The staircase came to an end, continuing on with a short hallway until he stood before a double-door entrance. Kakashi paused before it, studying the exterior of the room before approaching it slowly. When he was at the foot of the door, a glint caught his peripheral vision.

Throwing his body back, Kakashi managed to avoid several poison-covered needles. "Dammit!" He cursed when his foot activated another round of weapons by pressing down upon a fake rock. Numerous different weapons including a few bombs that threatened to clog the underground, hidden hallway.

It was either end up before the rubble, which would be impossible to dissect or take a risk and go straight for the door that could possibly be booby-trapped.

Kakashi took the later, throwing himself forward as instinct gnawed on him relentlessly.

He threw the double-doors open and skidded across the floor, hearing the doors creak eerily before slamming shut. In less than a second, he was enclosed in utter darkness.

A soft fire whirred before settling down. The light showed him the outline of the room, barely giving him enough to see this secretive place that was cut off from the main building. The room seemed as if it were for merely a basement to hide from enemies than a place full of secrets. The leaf nin relaxed from his tense position, glancing around at the bed and desk that were the only two pieces of furniture in there.

A small black journal was upon the table.

Kakashi walked towards it, his eye surveying it close as he thought about his students. His radio chattered, letting him know that they were safe and found nothing within the walls of the crazed sannin.

He picked up the black journal, pocketing it before talking to his students. "Meet in front of the entrance in five minutes."

As soon as they did, they parted for Konohagakure.

Exhausted, Team Seven returned home after two weeks of their mission.

They reached the entrance, greeting Izumo and Kotetsu with a tired wave and dragged their bodies through the gates. Naruto, due to his massive storage of chakra and Kyuubi, chirped his goodbye before searching for Iruka for ramen. Sasuke held his head up high and walked away with the intent for a good sleep. Kakashi was the third to leave.

"Sakura, remind those two about their reports." Kakashi grimaced at the blood that slathered over his Jounin vest. There was nothing more disgusting that returning home bathed in someone else's blood.

Without waiting for his student's reply, Kakashi walked off. He reached about ten feet before he recognized someone. His eye widened a tad. "Oh? Jiraiya-san."

The individual who was leaning against the wooden pillar of a restaurant immediately straightened at Kakashi's voice. A grin spread across his old face, lips stretching to an impossible point that Kakashi wondered what was going on in that sage's head of his. The Copy-nin actually faltered in his walk, pausing to analyze the situation. "Tsunade-san must've hit you pretty hard."

Jiraiya grumbled, rubbing his glowing red cheek as he muttered. "At least she didn't beat me to my death."

Kakashi stopped before the sannin, his hand going to his vest to retrieve an object. "Do me a favor," He pulled out a battered, black notebook, handing it to Jiraiya. "Give this to Tsunade. We found this during the last mission."

"She told me she sent you there." Jiraiya mused, straightening to get the notebook. "Is this…?"

The man nodded in confirmation. "We found nothing but that there."

Jiraiya hummed deep within his chest, closing his eyes for a second as he thought over the information Kakashi handed over. "I'll tell her right now. See you later, Hatake!" With a flick of his finger from his forehead, the white-haired man sauntered away.

Exhaustion set upon his body like white on rice, making his limbs sluggish and mind extremely tired. Kakashi sighed heavily, dragging his feet towards his destination. On his way, he met a few friends and barely released the death grip Genma had on him as he attempted to drag the returned man into a titty bar.

A huge air of relief escaped from his lungs as he entered his home.

There was honestly no place like home.

Kakashi closed the door behind him, immediately shredding his vest to place it on the ground. That was when he froze.

His one eye took in sight of his wooden floors with utter stillness. It wasn't because that the floors were polished and clean from dirt and dust, it was the fact that there were footprints there. The Leaf nin carefully placed his vest down, careful to refrain loud noises. His now mismatched eyes took in the impossible, watching, as more footprints grew right before his eyes.

Each small, dainty foot walked through his house as if it was home for the supernatural creature.

Right, left, right, left, right, left, right.

_Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud._

The slender feet traveled from the kitchen to the living room and back to the room where it disappeared.

"What the hell?" Kakashi muttered, his eyes glued to the wooden floors. Right there before his eyes was evidence that there was a ghost here. There was no way in hell this was a jutsu. He would've felt it from a mile away.

His eyes studied the petite outline, studying its every figment.

It was certainly a woman.

There was a female ghost living within his quarters.

Kakashi leaned back from his heels, sitting on his bum as he continued to stare in disbelief at the disappearing footprints. It sure as hell couldn't be his dead father. This was a woman's feet! And there weren't any records of someone in his family or clan who killed another only to have that restless spirit wandering around here.

Did he kill someone in his past life that the spirit followed him to his wake?

That was plausibly impossible. Kakashi stood from his seated position, entrapped in fatigue from the travel back home. His team took too long coming back home; they should've been here three days ago. They encountered quite a few threats, including a couple of Orochimaru's experiments that were beyond salvation.

Kakashi felt a crick at the base of his neck and winced. His fingerless gloves went to the back of his nape, searching for the knot that only grew tighter and tighter with the passing moments.

The thought of a hot shower actually pleased the overworked muscles.

He placed the dirt-matted vest on the floor, keeping a note in mind that he'd have to clean the wooden floor with a wet cloth.

Tired limbs moved back and forth, articles of clothes dropping at each step to the bathroom. Kakashi stood before his mirror, staring at his tired face and studying every dark contour of the angles as the dark clothe was stripped from his face. A lone finger traced the vertical scar that ran down across his eye. The white-gray puckered skin kissed the pad of his fingertip, reminding him of the painful memories of his past.

His eyes widened when he noticed a blur right behind him.

Kakashi turned around quickly, his Sharingan twirling as he focused his attention to the faint outline of a woman.

The silhouette moved slowly, flickering on and off at Kakashi's eye. Both eyes narrowed, body tensing as the outline moved towards him. Cautious, he quickly dodged to the side, watching the air quiver around the foreign 'spirit', as Kakashi would put it. His body leaned slightly forward, ready to defend or attack. Usually when he was out with his peers or team, he wasn't the one to show his panic or confusion openly. He was one to have complete control with a calm façade during desperate measures.

But what he was dealing with, or facing, wasn't exactly something he should take lightly.

The outline of the woman thickened until she was neatly filled out into a shadow.

The near-naked man's stance relaxed as he watched the woman standing before his sink, moving her hands around her hair and face, fussing over herself as an anal woman would with appearance. When she moved to face him, his body stilled.

As did hers.

For a split second, he caught a rough sight of his ghost. The woman was short, probably coming up to the middle of his chest if she stood next to him. Her form pleased her height, allowing her hips to flare out from her waist and generous breasts, only to lead down to her curvaceous legs.

When the shadow faced him, his body stiffened.

And just like that, the blackness dispersed.

Kakashi took a couple steps back, assessing his surroundings for the ghost to come back once more. He held himself for a minute before straightening from his hunched position. It was obvious that the ghost wasn't to come visit him...for now. Few unnerving minutes, Kakashi finally relaxed.

Shredding his boxers, the Copy nin stepped inside of the shower, pulling the knob and allowing the hot water to rush over his body. He pondered over the ghost, wondering if the appearance and change of the ghost was due to passing time. It has almost been a complete two weeks since the first day he noticed the presence of the spirit.

Can a ghost get stronger?

He allowed himself to stay underneath the pulsing beats of the showerhead for a few more minutes, soaping his body and cleaning the dirt and sweat off. As he did so, he couldn't help but think about the very feminine ghost that haunted his home.

Things could be worse…

Like a _male_ ghost.

* * *

><p>Chinatsu glanced at the clock, hovering over the large desk area for the nurses. She groaned, feeling the inevitable sleep weighing down her eyes. She struggled to keep them open, continuing to write within one of her patient's folder before handing it over to the vocational nurse standing by her side. "Make sure that Dr. Adams receive this before one o' clock. That's when he's headed home." The nurse nodded, snatching the folder and immediately started the hunt for the doctor.<p>

Her bloodshot eyes glanced at the clock once more.

It was twelve thirty in the morning.

"Holy crap, Connie, you look exhausted." One nurse approached from the right.

"Tell me about it," Chinatsu responded to her English name she chose for herself. "I feel like a walking zombie around here. The next thing I know, I'm going to end up on one of those beds."

The nurse laughed politely before tilting her head towards the exit. "Well, Dr. Adams wanted me to let you know that you're off. I'm covering your shift so that you can get some rest. You've been working the whole day, from what I've heard."

Chinatsu laughed humorlessly, feeling her body ready to collapse upon her goose-feathered bed. "Oh, yeah," She handed the woman her clipboard before giving a mock salute. "I'm out, see you later."

"Bye!"

On her way out, Chinatsu stopped at the voices coming from the mini-flatscreen that was held on the wall of the waitroom, noticing that a dear friend of hers was on the news. The interviewer on CNN held poise asking a question for the male before him.

"_This isn't the matter of global warming, Jack, we are past that stage and sadly entering the last step for this word: the end. Mother Earth cannot endure the modern technology, the consumption of chemicals and the replacement her forests are torn down for industries and companies no longer. It's slowly killing her and we are doing nothing to stop this silent torture. If we don't stop, she will crumble or worse, turn against us. And believe me, there will be no survivors if she turns…."_

Completely taken over by exhaustion, Chinatsu yawned, scratched the back of her head and left the waiting room, mumbling about how crazy her childhood friend turned out to be.

As soon as Chinatsu returned home, she kicked off her shoes, causing it to make a ruckus, uncaring that her mother was sleeping on the second floor and her sister was doing god knows what. She threw her car keys and purse on the sofa, trudging into the kitchen for a glass of water before climbing up the stairs.

Her beady, brown eyes noticed light coming from her sister's room. Out of curiosity, she opened the door to see Akane sitting on the desk adjacent to the window and hovered over something. "Akane?" Chinatsu called out.

"Shhhh," Akane narrowed her eyes at her sister. "Shut the hell up, man, I'm studying."

"For what?" Chinatsu yawned once more, feeling tears welling in her eyes.

"For the SATs, dipshit." Her younger sister rolled her eyes, undoing her hair before tying it up into a hairtie once more. "I signed up for the next SAT on the first day of next month. It's in a week and I need to study." Akane pointed to the small Pikachu clock besides her monstrous, four-inch thick SAT practice book. "I'm staying up till three today so I can try and ace my Critical Reading."

Chinatsu sipped at her water, inwardly cursing at the existence of SATs. "There's nothing more welcoming than a fat book saying hello."

Akane snorted, turning away from her sister to give her concentration to the book. "Get the hell out, bitch. I need to study."

"Sheesh." Chinatsu said. "Keep that foul mouth up and no college will want you."

"All I need is the smart. They won't give a flying fuck about the way I talk. Now leave so I can fucking study, please."

The elder sister immediately closed the door, her head pounding from her sister's black tongue and the all-nighter she had done yesterday. Everything was coming back with a vengeance and it wasn't about to let up anytime too soon. Her headache pound, her mouth dried, her nose burned with the chilliness of the weather. There was absolutely nothing more like this than home.

Sneezing, Chinatsu went into her room. She placed the glass water upon her dresser before stripping. The smell of medicine, flesh and blood surrounded her like a second scent. Basically, Chinatsu was in dire need of a shower.

She walked to the middle of her room, stripping her nurse uniform and throwing it into the hamper as she entered the restroom.

The knob turned stubbornly, gushing out warm water to fill the tub that she was preparing for herself. Chinatsu opened the compartment under the sink and grabbed a small jar filled with lavender scented stone that'll disperse within the waters. She threw the whole thing in the tub and tossed the empty jar in the trash.

As soon as her body immersed in the warm waters, she was convinced that she was in heaven.

Chinatsu's wavy hair piled upon of her head allowing her to enjoy her brief moment of relaxation. Her eyes slid closed, head tilting slightly to the side as her body turned into a noodle. When she opened her eyes thirty minutes later, she unplugged the water to go on with her shower.

Blurriness caught the side of her vision, making her rub her fist against eye to remove the particle that disturbed her so. When it continued, she groaned and got out of the tub.

"Man, what the hell." She cursed, throwing her hand forward to wipe away the fog the mirror was covered by. Chinatsu held her eye open by her nimble fingers, trying to find the white film that was swimming in her eye. When she couldn't find it, she rubbed her eye gently. "I'm too tired for this."

She returned to her shower, thinking that the blur she continued to see on and off had something to do with her fatigue and the medicine for her inflamed lungs. The bronchitis she got last week from a skiing trip with friends only worsened, making her life a living hell with medicine, sleepless nights and zombie-like days. It was a living nightmare.

As soon as she finished scrubbing herself down, she threw a towel around her body and started taking extra care of her hair. She lathered it in special oils and dried it till the tips literally glowed with health, not wanting to risk the bronchitis to go downhill.

When she finished dressing into warm pajamas, that's when she saw it and thought she was going delusional.

The blur she had seen constantly was now near her desk, bending around and moving about. It suddenly gained a shape, morphing into a form that could only be described as human.

Chinatsu squinted, staring at what was taking place with morbid fascination, completely tired from work and dosed with medicine to even try to understand about what was taking place. Her bloodshot brown eyes stared at the now full shadow, taking in the creases and bent shapes that wrapped around this human, which was to represent clothes. She stared at the head, completely enthralled by the supposed hair that dared to defy gravity.

"That's not possible." Chinatsu mumbled, well aware of Newton's laws of Gravity. Not even hair spray can do that.

The shadow walked around her room as if it had been there it's whole life, form relaxed and comfortable. It came to a stop towards her window, hands slipping within the pockets of the pants and stood there for a while, allowing Chinatsu to study it.

It was a man that was for sure. His body was lean like a swimmer's body, arms flesh with muscle and lithe strength. Though the body wasn't speaking on pristine levels of strength like juice gorillas, there was for certain a lethal deadliness about him. The pants he wore cut off around the bottom of his calves, feet encased in awkward shoes that Chinatsu did not recognize.

Feeling sleep blanket her, Chinatsu ignored the shadow and threw her comforters over her body, clapping her hands twice to allow herself in the darkness.

All she knew was that the medicine was definitely working.

Before she fell into her dreamless state, sleepy Chinatsu felt a hand petting her hair, smoothing it down her back over and over as one would with a cat and turned into liquid putty.

* * *

><p>I used to ALWAYS hate reading non-Japanese names in animemanga fanfics. I don't remember why, maybe it was because I wanted everyone to be Japanese so that it could actually make sense or 'go with the flow' LOL. But I need Chinatsu to be completely white-washed, haha. (:

Give the story some time, because it will happen before you know it x)) I'm not the one to rush things and the wait is definitely worth it ;D

Any mistakes you find or whatsoever, be sure to tell me so I can fix it C:

**If you want to read my own work, visit me at fictionpressdotcom under the penname ****SacreBleu**

Thanks for the reviews guys! ;D

_xiMenagerie_ PureAngelEyes

jeejee – hopes this is long enough to satisfy you x3


	3. Articulate

**Chapter 3: Articulate**

"A ghost?" Genma said, blinking rapidly at the prospect before throwing his head back and laughing aloud. He almost choked on the senbon in his mouth if it hadn't been for Kakashi who smacked his back in muted embarrassment. "Shit, Kakashi, lay off, man. I'm just…shocked, because a ghost?"

Kakashi sighed, turning away from his friend to study the glass of water in his hands.

It was definitely getting stronger, appearing more than once this whole week.

And the thought of it being a ghost couldn't be possible. Why was it suddenly appearing this month out of all days? There was nothing that could explain it. He hasn't killed anyone until recently in his last mission. Perhaps he was going mad, and the thought of that unsettled him. It was one of the reasons why he was telling Genma of this. He wanted to make sure he wasn't going delusional.

Genma noticed the seriousness of the situation and immediately sobered. "How long has this been happening?"

"Roughly about a month ago." Kakashi answered.

A low hum echoed through Genman's body as he leaned his head back and nibbled at the senbon with thought.

"Come over." Kakashi demanded, drawing attention from others who stared with shock.

Genma's face pinkened. "Sorry, Kakashi, I don't swing that way." He chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

The lone, half-lidded eye blinked a couple of times. Kakashi heaved a sigh, leaning back from his slouched position to cross his arms over his chest. "Ma, ma, Genma. If I had to go with a man, I wouldn't be choosing you."

"Eh?" Genma's eyes widened and drew back far from his drinking buddy. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Iie." Kakashi stood from his seat, sliding his hands into his pockets. He turned towards Genma, inwardly smirking at his fuming friend as he readied his smooth talk. "Genma-"

The brown-haired man scoffed and waved a hand. "Don't say that crap, Kakashi. I know to get my money ready whenever I'm in an outing with you." Genma closed his eyes and sighed, retrieving the wallet from his pants and handed over cash to the bartender who looked ready to pound them in if they dared to 'poof' away. It just told Genma how often Kakashi has done it to the poor man. "Okay, let's go."

"Have fun." The bartender commented with a waggling eyebrow.

The fingers that were about to tip the man, slid the money back in. Genma didn't say a word, ignoring the patrons who whispered behind their hands. Ahh, the civilians needed their gossip, he suppose.

"Ahhhh, the weather's too beautiful to consign my death with your ghost." Genma said, strolling besides Kakashi who already had his small orange book out.

"Pervert." A female villager sneered at the openness of Kakashi's porn. "There are children around, mind you. Some jounin you are."

The masked ninja's eye closed, rising upwards in a sheepish attempt to ward off the woman. Before he managed to say a witty remark, Genma's arm encircled around his shoulders.

"Please, excuse my friend, miss. He's had too many accidents during the mission, which has unfortunately ruined parts of his head." Genma said smoothly, enticing the now ensnared woman who battered her eyes at him from his flirtatious smirks. "If you would like, I will try and train him to stop his offending hobbies, miss…"

The villager giggled, blushing lightly at his magic. "Fubuki."

"Fubuki-chan."

As Genma bent down to kiss the hand, which had been graciously offered to him, he felt someone wrapping an arm around his neck. "Eck!" He choked, forcibly wrenched away from the angel who had been before him. "What the hell?"

Asuma laughed heartily, tightening his arm around Genma's neck. "Miss, if you had let him kiss your hand, the herpes on his lips would've transferred."

Completely full of disgust, the villager shrieked in revulsion and walked off.

"Ah, you asshole!" Genma snarled, shoving the laughing Asuma away from his side. "Kurenaaaai," Genma complained, walking over to her for pity. The back of his flak jacket immediately pulled him back.

"Ah, ah, hands off my woman." Asuma grinned.

Kakashi turned to the two, eye blinking a couple of times as he noticed a difference about the Sarutobi descendant. "You stopped smoking?"

Asuma paused. He smiled before giving one nod, rubbing the back of his neck before sneaking a glance to a blushing Kurenai. "We're expecting." He announced at the shrug of her shoulder, wrapping an arm around Kurenai's waist.

"Congratulations. Tsunade's going to have a field day when she notices you're the reason she's taking one of her female jounins out." Kakashi replied. "Oh well, let's hope the baby gets more of Kurenai's genes."

"Hear, hear." Genma agreed, too busy ogling nearby female villagers to pay full attention.

"Screw you guys. Speaking of screwing," Asuma glanced down at Kurenai who had a huge smirk on her face. "Nevermind. Anyways, what are you guys headed? I heard from Naruto that he has a day off from training."

Kakashi nodded. "Felt like the kids needed some rest until the day after tomorrow." After the mission at Iwagakure, Kakashi pushed them to their limits, silently trying to have them gain control of themselves. The way Sasuke was nowadays made Kakashi suspicious. Not only that, but Naruto's tailed beast was coming out more than usual. When they returned to training, he would need Yamato and Sai there to give an extra hand.

His attention was brought back at Genma's voice, "Come join us, we're going to see Kakashi's ghost."

Kurenai's eyes drew to Kakashi and downwards before bursting in laughter. "We've heard a couple interesting things before bumping into you." She mentioned, bumping hips with Asuma who laughed harder.

Genma rolled his eyes. "You know those villagers. They need their daily dose of gossip."

"So, what is it about this ghost of yours, Kakashi?" Kurenai asked.

Kakashi closed his eyes and tilted his head back. "There's a ghost in my house."

"And I'm going to check he's not going crazy." Genma informed. He jerked his head to the right, indicating the trio to follow him. "I'm going to assume he's starting to make his way towards insanity, because ghosts do not exist. It's impossible."

"There's always a possibility, right Asuma?" Kurenai weaved her arm with Asuma's who agreed immediately.

Genma nudged Kakashi's side. "Look, he's pussy-whipped already." Kakashi chuckled. "He's only agreeing because he grew up with monks and shit."

As they continued to walk towards his house, Kakashi couldn't help but feel apprehensive. What if in fact he was going insane? There had never been a problem with his mentality before, why would there be one right now? It just didn't add up. Sure, when he was younger, he almost became a mindless robot due to the endless missions he threw himself into. But after being extracted from ANBU, he was sure that his mind was corrected and healthy.

"Let's find this ghost!" Genma threw the door open and walked right in, determined to prove this that there are no such things as ghosts and spirits to Asuma.

Kakashi ignored the fact that Genma ran in with his dirty sandals.

He swung his arm forth, nodding to Kurenai and Asuma. "You are welcome to see the ghost. Please, come in."

Kurenai immediately darted in, going up the stairs for any proof of the supernatural creature. Asuma walked in after her and heaved a sigh. "I don't know whether I want to find this ghost or not. If we do, then that's something that'll scar me for life. If we don't, you're completely insane."

"Then please try to find it." Kakashi closed the door. He went to his couch, sat down and waited for them to bump into the ghost.

The tips of his fingers drummed against his arms crossed over his chest, lightly tapping over and over to wait for the final verdict. His eyes narrowed when he noticed a photo frame was slightly turned the wrong way.

After a full hour of extensive searching, Kakashi found Asuma and Genma standing before him with grim expressions. Genma leaned against the wall of the living room with his eyes closed. "I think we need to get your head checked, Kakashi."

Kakashi groaned. Before he had a chance to say anything, he felt Kurenai's chakra flare.

Within a split second, Asuma was gone. Genma and Kakashi followed quickly.

Kurenai stood in the doorway, body stiff as she stared inside of the room. When Asuma placed a hand on her shoulder, her hand darted back and grasped his wrist in a deadlock. "I…I think I found it." She whispered, too fearful of waking up the unknowing being inside of Kakashi's room.

Asuma peeked in the room and stared. A drop of sweat ran down his neck. "Is…is that it?"

Kakashi squeezed through them and entered his room, Genma following right behind. The black blob on his bed was definitely the ghost he's been seeing. "Aa." He answered, taking a step back to allow Genma to see it.

"This has to be genjutsu." Genma snorted, unamused by the supposed trickery.

"I'm a genjutsu specialist and this isn't a genjutsu. There's literally no chakra, no nothing coming from…that." Kurenai shuddered.

"I don't feel anything either." Asuma wrapped his arms around Kurenai, unsure of the blob there.

Genma rolled his eyes. "You guys are chicken shits. There's no such thing as ghosts. Here, I'll prove it." Despite the trio's warning, the senbon man walked forth and threw his arm forward to touch the blob.

A sound echoed throughout the room.

It started off as static, continuously cricking and scratching attempting to form a specific sound that seemed impossible for it to gain. Then the sounds narrowed off, slowly coming together in a distortion to form foreign sounds. The loudness of the start dimmed, humming in the air until there was nothing more. The hair on their bodies rose as if dancing to the music of the ghost's voice.

"_Owww, Akane, what the hell was that for?" _

Immediately, they crouched in their fighting stances, Kurenai tucked behind Asuma, as they pinned their target with narrowed, confused eyes.

"_What the…? Why would she hit me and then run away? Crazy sister." _The black blob unfolded from it's curled up position, taking on the form of a full-grown woman and stretched. _"What time is it anyways?" _A yawn was heard as the ghost did intricate twists to crack and stretch the stiff muscles. The head glanced at the window and stared. _"Oh, what…?"_

The jounins flinched harshly when the female voice shrieked in indignation. _"It's nine o' clock already?" _The blob jumped from the bed and dashed towards the closet, waving the arms around like a mad woman. _"Holy crap, I'm late for class!"_

Kakashi, who was in the way, was convinced that she would run through him. But instead, she bumped against him, shoving him to the floor as she fell with a cry.

"_Why am I so unlucky today?"_

He literally felt a warm hand press against his chest as she got back to her feet. She threw the closet door open rather harshly, letting the thin wooden door fly and crack at the frame, making the jounins jump. The female ghost's hips shook from side to side, removing a questionable article that resembled sleeping pants. She threw them to the side, letting it fly in the air.

It vanished in midair.

A grunt weaseled from the girl as she dressed. _"Moooom! Mom, where are the-! Stop speaking in Japanese, I can't understand anything!" _This time when she ran for the door, they quickly moved out of the way. _"I don't want an Asian breakfast. Just pour me some cereal! No! I don't want rice and fish, that's gross!"_

The shadow ran down the stairs, hips swaying from side to side with unintentional seduction, which immediately caught Genma's attention. _"Akane, pour me some cereal, yeah?" _

All four excluding the ghost were in the living room, watching as it floundered around the kitchen area as if it had been living here for years. _"Aw, gross, I can't eat my cereal when there's the smell of fish. Yuck!" _The animated female sat down where it stood, eating what looked like food and constantly bickered with a nonexistent partner in her foreign language.

"What…what is this?" Asuma stuttered, a sickening feeling festered at the pit of his stomach.

Kurenai shook her head, nibbling her bottom lip. "That is not a ghost. You need to tell Tsunade about this."

"But it's not a jutsu either." Genma mumbled, watching as the black shadow moved about the kitchen. "She can't be dead. Dead people wouldn't act like this. You can't even touch ghosts, and I for sure felt her warm, fleshy arm. It almost seems as if she was…"

"Alive." Kakashi finished. His gaze moved over the girl to the window just over the sink. The specks of dirt at the windowsill next to the small pot of flower drew his attention like vulture on carcass.

"_Okay, mom, I'm out! I'll be back around eleven today. No, no, at night! Okay, okay, love you too. Screw you, Akane. Ack! Bye!" _

The shadow stood from it's sitting position and went to the front of the door. When it opened the door, the four froze, unsure of what was going to happen next.

Which made the reason why it was so peculiar when she turned around (at his doorstep) and waved at them with a friendly hand and light bounce. Not a moment later, and the female ghost disappeared.

The four were silent.

"Be sure to notify the Hokage about Kurenai when you go visit her."

* * *

><p>"You're so unlucky today."<p>

Akane swirled on the extra chair in the small room, watching as her sister's foot being treated by an elder man. They were currently at a carnival due to the perfect weather and bored girls who were free from their responsibilities. "How in the world did that get in your sandal?"

Chinatsu winced, feeling the man probe at the rock. "I don't know, but dude, get it out now!"

The man chuckled, turning in his chair to get some antiseptic wipes. "From what you've been telling me, you're a nurse?" He mentioned, distracting her as he closed in on her dainty foot. "Still go to school, how's your family? What does your mother do as a living? Where-"

"Just get it out." Chinatsu clenched her eyes shut and gritted her teeth, ready to ride out the pain. "I can do this, Akane. If I can handle removing a needle from my thigh, I can handle a small rock, dammit!"

Akane licked her ice cream rather boredly. "I never said you couldn't."

"Alright, removing this in three." The old man announced. He held the rock between his fingers lightly, barely skimming it. "One…two," At the moment he was on two, he yanked it out.

"Guaaaah!" Chinatsu yanked her leg back, clinging it beneath the knee and jumped back in shock. Though there was the small pulse of pain, it was nothing compared to the soothing sensation that washed over it a second ago. "What the...?" She grabbed her foot and maneuvered it so that she was looking at the sole of it, finger lightly touching around the reddening area of the wound. "What the hell was that? It felt like…like…"

"Like magic?" The old man smiled cheekily, placing the rock upon a white napkin. He hummed, staring at it before rubbing the cloth around it. "I can see why it was so painful."

Akane peered into his hand, her face twisted in a grimace. "Damn, that thing must've been fucking stuffed up your foot, Chinatsu."

Chinatsu glanced at the work and gasped. "_That_ was in my foot?"

The man held it up to her vision, letting her eyes fall upon the supposed rock. But it was not rock Chinatsu imagined it would be. The object was about the length of her index finger, so very thin and light that it seemed as if it could pass through water pipes if it wasn't for the length. The turquoise gem gleamed beneath the light, sending radiant different colors at every possible direction once the old man had washed it off decently.

"This is no ordinary rock, it's a crystal gem. Looks fairly new, but then again, it could be old." The man picked it up, holding it up to the light and squinted at it. "It must've really been stubborn enough to choose you as it's new owner."

Chinatsu turned to Akane and threw her a 'wtf' look. "Alright, thanks for the help, I really appreciate it." As soon as she started to get off the chair, the old man waved his hand.

"No, no, no. Here, this is yours. But I must ask you if you would allow me to bless it for you." He didn't wait for an answer as he grabbed Chinatsu's hand.

"Uh…sure, I guess." Chinatsu stared at him with disturbance as he held her hand beneath his and right above the gem.

He shook their hands and the gem together. "I was a shaman back in my day."

"It's not everyday you meet a shaman, Chinatsu. You should use this opportunity to gain some experience." Akane teased, well knowing how uncomfortable and disturbed her sister was at the moment. "And you can even ask some questions about that ghost in your room, bahahaha!" Akane threw her head back and laughed obnoxiously despite the old man's blessing and mutterings.

As soon as he finished, Chinatsu felt something within her move. In a split second, coldness swept through her body from the tip of her head to the end of her toes. It felt like a piece of her was stolen away.

The foreign feeling quickly vanished, leaving her confused.

The worker and ex-shaman smiled at her knowingly, making the image of him eerie. "Be sure to keep that well in your care, miss."

"Sure." Chinatsu said.

"Be warned of your ghost. I do not feel a malevolent spirit nor its presence clinging around you, but this spirit does not feel natural."

Once the man pressed the gem into her hand and enclosed her fingers around it for her, she smiled, gave her thanks and dragged Chinatsu out of the small room. "That was as creepy as hell." She threw a glance over her shoulder to make sure he wasn't following them.

"It was damn weird…but not creepy." Her sister disagreed, throwing her leftover ice cream in the trash.

Chinatsu ignored her sister and limped. "Whatever, let's go."

Akane eyes went to her sister's foot. "Are you sure? You don't look like you can continue walking, stupid. That thing was screwed an inch or two into your fucking foot."

"Yeah," Chinatsu's knee buckled. She threw her hand out to catch Akane hard by the shoulder.

"_Itai!_" Akane yelped. She grabbed her sister's hand whose fingers were digging into the soft tissue of her shoulder. "Goddamnit, Chinatsu, you're not fucking dying, let me go!" She shoved her sister away from her.

"Gah!" Chinatsu tripped over her feet, waving her arms around and even bumping into a few people who screamed at her. She ended up slamming her hand upon a nearby stand, causing the small decorations and jewelry to bounce in their place.

The owner came to the front, face etched with worry and concern. "Are you alright?"

Immediately, the tripping girl straightened. "I'm so sorry!" She bent down to retrieve a few fallen products.

Luckily for Chinatsu, the owner of the stand was a rather nice woman. "It's alright, darling." As she helped the clumsy girl pick up the things that have dropped, a glint caught her eye. "Hm?" Her blue eyes squinted at the shining crystal. "Oh, how beautiful."

"Yeah, and painful." Chinatsu commented, finishing up.

"Would you like me to make it into a jewelry? It's rather too beautiful to leave around without accessorizing it on you." The woman picked up the fallen crystal gem.

"Do it, Chinatsu. Maybe it'll help you not step on it again." Akane mumbled, reluctantly helping her sister pick some of the fallen jewelry since it was her fault.

"Yeah, here." The blond woman hummed a soft tune, moving quickly behind her stall to the little area, which was equipped with tools. She dropped herself on a comfortable stool, hunched over the table and immediately started to work. The loud whine of a drill pitched in the air, softly digging carefully into the gem with pristine care and stillness. A sharp sound made the rest come to a stop. "Oh, it cracked."

"Eh, that's okay. You can just throw it away-" Chinatsu started.

"Oh, no, no, I'll fix it." The jeweler started once more, using more care. Once she finished with one, she threw open a drawer and searched for something. In a quick movement, she grabbed the larger piece of the gem and blew into the hole before lacing a string through it. "Now for the finishing touch."

It only took a full ten minutes until it was finished. The woman smiled, throwing the necklace over Chinatsu's head before she could stop her. "There you go, doesn't it look nice?"

Chinatsu's head tilted down, eyes blinking to take it the upgrade of the gem. The turquoise crystal laid between the curve of her breasts, lying in the middle of the two cracked pieces (that had also been laced in the necklace) the woman had accidently broken with too much pressure from the mini-drill. "It's…beautiful." Chinatsu said honestly.

"It's for free. Take care of your foot, you don't want to be suffering from unnecessary pain." The woman waved at them before quickly returning to her booth to snap at a youngster who attempted to steal.

"Come on, let's go." Akane complained, tired of standing in one place for too long.

When Chinatsu took a step with her injured foot, she tripped again.

"Aw, fuck!" Akane cursed when Chinatsu grabbed her for balance.

Chinatsu barely had her holding, holding onto her sister for a bit longer. When confidence, she released the death grip. "Ahh, sorry, Akane." She placed her weight on her left leg, favoring the right. "But we're going to have to leave for home. I'm in too much pain."

"You're in pain? Sheesh, you gripped onto me like a damn monkey and a banana." Akane winced as she massaged her shoulder.

"Ahh, sorry, sorry."

"_Gomen, gomen!_ Jeez, mom said to start with Japanese. Haven't you started?" Akane moved along with her sister, strolling along slowly so that Chinatsu was next to her side.

Chinatsu groaned at the remembrance of it. "Oh, god, I don't want to learn Japanese."

"You need to. Like mom said, it's part of your heritage."

"I didn't choose to become a part of this 'heritage'." Chinatsu whispered beneath her breath, thinking it was soft enough to pass by Akane's ears. She was wrong when her younger sister came to a complete stop and whirled around with eyes that were as deadly as the crystal gem she continued to finger and feel in her pocket.

Akane snarled, her almond eyes narrowing to a point where Chinatsu wondered where her pupils went. "What the fuck was that, Chinatsu? Sure, perhaps you didn't choose the type of life, the type of parents or the type of body you were born in, but guess what? You're fucking stuck with it. Stop being a pain in the crack of the fucking ass and deal with it. Jesus. To be fair on your bratty ass part, mom didn't get to choose you to be her daughter, ya know."

Ouch. Talk about angry sister.

Chinatsu soaked in her spitfire of a sister and sighed. "Hai, hai." She unlocked her small car and entered, gunning the engine to life. "I've learned a little…"

"A little? From your god awful accent, I can say that you've just started." Akane leaned bac against the leather seats, shaking her head from side to side. "What are we going to do with you?"

"Leave me alone and get me a new language to learn?" Chinatsu tried.

"Baka!" Akane snapped, instantly turning into the demon she had just calmed down from. _"You're such a fucking idiot, goddamn, how the hell am I even related to you? The capacity of your ignorance is too great to even be related to mine."_

Chinatsu rolled her eyes.

"_And you have the nerve to roll your eyes at me?" _A sound of annoyance came from her mouth. "I give up, you're too much."

As they drove, silence filled the car. It was the comfortable sort of silence that anyone can sit through without tension or irritation. The only sound that was there was the vibration of the engine, the turning of the wheels and the squealing of the brakes when Chinatsu felt like taking a daring turn. To Chinatsu, there was nothing more exciting than taking a risk. She raced in her mini-cooper (as ridiculous as it was) during the night when the streets were empty and there was another daring driver.

Chinatsu groaned when she realized that in two days her mother was going to the next state over to attend her cousin's wedding, and that she was requested to go along. "Hey, are you coming with us to Washington?"

"Hell no." Akane scoffed. "I still have school. Even if mom did give me the permission to go, I still wouldn't. My transcript is too delicate to mess around with."

The light blush on Akane's face caught her attention. "There's more, isn't there?"

"What, no!" The younger sister's face instantly blazed with redness as she continued to deny her sister's suspicions. When Chinatsu got a little too much to ignore or put off, Akane snapped, "Okay, fine, you fucker. I…I'm hanging out with Yusuke."

"Ooh, a date?" Chinatsu asked.

"A rendezvous." Akane corrected with a mild blush on her face. "Did you know there's a possibility to survive the end of the world?" The words tumbled out, attempting to sidetrack her elder sister from her confession.

"How?"

"…Surround yourself with cockroaches."

"Fine, fine, you nerd. Go ahead and fail to distract me." The car turned into their driveway, dying with a twist of the key and relaxed from it's jittery-self. Closing the door, Chinatsu pressed the soft button on her keys, hearing the car beep and locks click before entering the house. "Ahhh, there's just no place like home." She stretched her arms over her head and limped inside.

The door unlocked. "You should park the car inside the garage. Mom still needs to park."

"Meh, I left space for two in the driveway."

"That's what you said last time."

"I did. And if you don't like it then park it yourself." Chinatsu threw the car keys at Akane who caught it with a smirk to the face. She knew that Akane (who does not have her driver's license) was a sucker and would do anything when it came to driving the car.

Chinatsu passed through the kitchen, glancing at the clock before heading up the stairs. The night was falling fast. The air within the house already chilled, giving the wooden floors a coldness that would freeze the sole of the foot if placed down without warning. It made her wonder where her mother was, and whether she was still at one of her sister's house, still making some Japanese dishes and still eating dinner with them. Her mother tended to visit her aunt who was rather horrid at cooking. It was said that all of her aunt's traits passed down to Chinatsu, which her mother teased often and said she belonged to her sister rather than her.

The door of her room opened and immediately she flung herself on the bed. Reaching underneath, she retrieved a small remote and pressed a button. The room sang with music.

The gentle, lulling voice of a soprano filled the four-cornered interior. Chinatsu also joined in, her voice cracking at the high notes she couldn't reach. It actually happened too often that Akane screamed and slammed the wall from next door to 'stop making the sound of a cat in heat', much to her aggravation.

So, Chinatsu stopped with her silliness and listened to the lilting voice as she threw open one of the books for her nursing class.

It didn't catch her attention until the music continued to be chopped up with the additional voice.

"What the hell man, did I download a bad version?" Chinatsu went to her desk and fiddled with her iHome, hoping the make the sound go away. When she paused the music, the low distortion continued.

The blackness lingering next to her window flickered and waved in place, making it noticeable in her peripheral vision.

Chinatsu immediately threw herself back, tripping over discarded clothes that sent her falling onto the floor. She scrabbled back, staring at the dark spot in horror. There was nothing more fearful than seeing something that shouldn't be there, shouldn't exist in the first place. And it didn't help that she felt so helpless against it, unable and not knowing how to attack or defend herself if she must come to that conclusion.

It glimmered. The shape soon solidified into a man, the color grew dense so that the sketch was the perfect vision of a human male.

She thought it was a dream. Those nights where she returned home with an exhausted mind and body, and going in her room only to see some sort of silhouette made her think it was a dream. Throughout the whole two months, she thought it was a dream for when it disappeared, she woke up.

In turn, she thought the ghost was a bad dream, too.

But nope, no. It wasn't, because there it was standing as if it had every right to be in her bedroom.

As the demonic sound continued, the outline of the shadow flickered as if it were in tune with the vibration of the words. In less than a few seconds, the loud buzzing sound slowly diminished so that it was clear enough to hear the man's deep, raspy voice.

"_And what do you think I should do?" _

Chinatsu froze at his voice. The husky quality made it known to her that this male ghost wasn't just any other man. It was a man who was used to commanding, and to be obeyed at once.

"_She's not here, I tried looking for her, but it seems as if she only appears during the daytime. And as you can see, it's a little over midnight." _

For some odd reason, her hand went straight to the necklace around her neck, holding it tight as she remembered the ex-shaman's words.

He didn't feel an evil spirit.

But at the same time, this was an unnatural spirit.

The saliva that collected in her mouth was swallowed, making a loud sound, as done so. Chinatsu's mouth moved, lips quivering as she slowly tried to converse with the ghost. "H-hey…" She started off warily. She immediately shushed when the man moved across her room and towards her closet. Her eyes bulged from her sockets when she saw the essay on the human anatomy lain on the floor crinkled beneath his weight.

What. The. Fuck.

"_Yes. She came across here and bumped into me. Yes, she touched me, and I felt her warm hand when she picked herself off of me. Then she moved towards the closet and opened it. It doesn't sound believable, but Genma, Asuma and Kurenai are witnesses to the whole thing." _

Ghosts don't have the power to do that. It's impossible! They shouldn't have the power to do that. No paranormal things should be able to do that.

But he did it.

"_If this was in fact a ghost, I wouldn't believe myself to be in any danger. But as Kurenai said, and as I believe, this isn't a ghost. Therefore, I don't know if my life is at stake." _

Chinatsu didn't notice that she was breathing hard, hand still clenched tight around the necklace. The ghost was now leaning against the wall opposite of her, hands in the supposed pockets of the pants and head tilted down as if in thought. As he continued to talk, something suddenly struck within her.

Was…her ghost speaking in Japanese?

Did her mother get sick and tired of her pushing off her Japanese lessons that she summoned and old Japanese ghost to haunt her?

"_Also, someone had trespassed into my home."_

No, no, her mother wouldn't do that. That's too cruel. But at the same time, it didn't make any sense. Why would an old Japanese spirit be haunting this house in America? Perhaps it was an old spirit from World War II?

The soon-to-be college graduate mustered all the courage within her to relax her stiff posture. She slowly leaned forward, mouth twitching as she spoke, "A-ano…"

The ghost was silent.

"Eh…sumimasen, demo _tempura my soy sauce, _uhhh,no good_." _

When the shadow didn't reply or move Chinatsu grew bolder. She stood and slowly walked towards the ghost, her hands still clutched at her chest in a way that she thought she would be protected and safe if she at least covered her chest. "Hey_, do…_um, do…_see _okay_ you?" _

Nothing.

It was then Chinatsu repeated something she learned from a native Japanese exchange student from back in high school that the male responded. His head lifted and it almost seemed as if he was looking straight at her. The one hand in his pocket slid out and lifted in the air. The fingertips glided across her cheek gently, going further as in to cup her cheek. The minute she felt the warmth of his hand soak into the skin of her cheek, he disappeared.

Chinatsu didn't get a chance to say or feel anything before she heard loud laughter coming from her door.

Akane stepped into the doorway and laughed at her. "Why did you say, 'I'll sleep with you if you do my homework', in Japanese?" She didn't even wait for her elder sister to reply as she walked away, laughing at the sister's ill accent.

The girl who saw the ghost stood stock-still, not knowing how to react now that she knew this was not a dream.

* * *

><p>It's a bit longer than the last, wheee~~<p>

I'm very happy with this chapter. I felt like I did the deed and slammed it tight, behehe. Towards the end, (because Chinatsu doesn't know anything Japanese-related) I felt the need to insert a few humorous lines here and there. It made me happy C:

You might feel that the necklace part wasn't necessary, but oh boy, it is ;D (lips are sealed)

Please review :x

**If you wish to see my own work, visit me at fictionpressdotcom under the penname of: SacreBleu**

Thank you my reviewers, you make my day :D

**merryday – **I'm glad you find it interesting. Here's the chapter, hope it satisfies you :D

**xiMenagerie – **LOL YOU DORK. I've already updated this three times now, shouldn't you be doing your updates, you procrastinator? I'll try and update on fictionpress, too, haha. I'm too caught up with this story to give any attention to the others though D: So, they'll have to wait until my obsession is over :x And don't spam xD


	4. Conversation

**Chapter 4: Conversation**

Kakashi learned a few things about his little ghost throughout the whole three months she started her haunting. He knew so much about her that it almost seemed as if he had known her his whole life.

When it came to water, she was literally a fish. Once she ran down the hallway, interrupting him from his sleep, and launched her small body towards the refrigerator. When she wrenched it open, a small screech of disbelief rent through the air when she didn't find what she wanted inside the small compartment. It was then Kakashi knew she drank water like an amphibian when the black blob hovered near the sink for a good ten minutes until she was satisfied.

A small bulged around the stomach area confirmed his suspicions of her gaining weight.

Two times in the last three months, he witnessed the spitfire during her menstrual cycle. His ghost would moan and groan much like a wounded animal, rolling and crawling on the floor and strike out when annoyed. It took her about a week to settle down from her bloody days.

Some days he found the ghost's haunting amusing, occasionally listening to her foreign words and lazily scrutinizing her as she flitted around.

And there were those days he didn't want anything to do with her.

He would enter his home and be shocked when he found her sitting on his couch, throwing her feet on the coffee table and throwing the Icha Icha book collections he had neatly piled there on the floor.

There once was a time she broke his vase. It was a vase that belonged to his mother's family, which has been passed down from generation to generation.

Even when he snapped and rage (which he did rarely, which were becoming more common because of her), it did nothing to deter his ghost from stop running around like a chicken with no head.

The creaking sounds that came so recognizable to him made him sigh and close the orange book in his hands. Immediately, as directed by the Hokage herself, Kakashi lifted his headband and watched his front door for the flicker of the ghost's entrance. The only ones who knew about the 'ghost' were the Hokage, her apprentice, the Sarutobi couple and Genma. This was to be kept on a hush-hush level till Tsunade decided what to do with it.

When the darkening space before his wooden front door began to thicken, Kakashi sighed and straightened up. His body froze, eyes widened when he noticed something was different with his ghost.

It was…getting lighter.

As the ghost moved around at the pace of a snail, colors bled into it ever so slowly.

A light color of green washed over the flimsy, thin pants she wore, trailing up to the v-neck baggy shirt and stopping from there. The clothes looked like it would fail to conserve body heat, leaving it up to the thin white long sleeve she had under to do the job.

The color of peach gently flowed through the black, conquering the dark color with something light and carefree. Soon, the peach color traveled up her neck and over her face, leaving the brownness to finish the woman's body.

She was a rather pretty thing, he mused.

The now colored woman turned, closing the door behind her and removed her shoes at the foot of the entrance. Her chocolate brown eyes blinked tiredly, the shadows under her eyes signifying how she had spent her days. She brought her hand up and rubbed her reddening eyes, sniffling at the recent cold she had caught. The wavy brown hair spat out in different directions, determined to embarrass the girl further with her unknown spectator.

Kakashi watched, curious as she moved about.

She trudged along to the kitchen, hand moving through her hair and grunted when it tangled. He winced painfully when she yanked at her hand, fighting with her man-eating hair.

After the mini-battle, the woman drank her cup of juice, turned off the light and headed upstairs.

Kakashi followed her, keeping at a distance. He studied her body movements, watching for any signs of violence, disease, misfits, etc, anything that would serve as information to him about what this girl was and why she was here.

It was a side mission Tsunade assigned him whenever the ghost appeared.

The woman turned right, entering his room, which she had made herself quite comfortable for the past few weeks. She placed the white, expensive, highly designed bag hanging on her shoulder to the right, moving his eyes away from it when it disappeared, and moved across the room. A yawn escaped from her mouth quite obnoxiously, stretching her arms over her head and even scratched her stomach for good measure. _"Ohhhh, what I would do for a nice massage." _

Whenever she spoke, it never failed to make him tilt his head to the right. It was almost instinctive by now.

A low hum echoed from her chest, singing a song that was all too natural by now. It was a song that she always sang when she showered.

As if on cue, her hands went to the hem of her shirt. Usually, Kakashi only saw a blackness being pitched to the side, but now he knew it was her undressing before she entered the bathroom. He continued to watch her as she continued to his bathroom.

"_Damn, I hope Akane didn't use up all the warm water." _His ghost grunted, cutting off from her song as she pulled the knob to the shower. Her hand dipped under the weather, staying there for a few moments until she was supposedly satisfied.

It was then when she stripped naked, did Kakashi feel his day getting better.

Her body was supple and pale. Because she was short, her body responded to it (along with the food she shoveled down her throat) by carving her body into a form that many tall and skinny women cannot achieve. Water rolled down her well-endowed breasts as she entered the water, passing the dusty colored nipple before going down along her stomach, waxed mound and thick, curvy legs.

Kakashi sat down on the toilet, relaxing when she didn't pose any harm. He watched as she closed her eyes, singing softly beneath her breath as she doused herself with the water.

There was never a time where he found a woman doing her morning ritual as interesting as this.

Her voice would crack from time to time, jumping over notes and dying at the perfect time, but she did not change songs. She continued on with it, sudding a loofa and scrubbing her body as she did so. His eyes lazily follow her hands, watching as the bubbles slid down her form tantalizingly.

When she finished her shower, she wrung her long brown hair and then shook her head from side to side as if she were a dog. The now colored ghost reached over and suddenly there was a fuzzy navy towel in her hand, wrapped around her body comfortably and securely before she stepped out of the shower.

"_Why is it so cold?" _

She stepped into the room quickly, going to the closet and grabbing another towel to wrap her hair in. Once she dried her legs and arms, she removed the towel wrapped around her and started to dress herself.

As his little ghost bent down to step into her underwear, Kakashi noticed a birthmark smiling at him from her left butt cheek. His head cocked further to the right.

After she dressed, the woman went to one wall of his room that was empty and stared at something that hovered to her right. It was only something she can see, that he couldn't. But when she touched it, his Sharingan would catch a fuzzy outline of the object she held. When she sat down in midair, he caught the image of a chair and table.

Her pink lips pursed. The dainty foot swung up and sat itself on the edge of the table as she neared it with nail polish.

Kakashi stood besides her, taking in the struggle she was battling with her foot.

She had nice feet. They were slender and well groomed. It was nice excluding the fact that she was painting them like a three year old. A groan and grumble came from her as she continued to try and make the end brush along her nails neatly, but only succeeded in creating bumps and painting the cuticle of her fingers.

It was horrid. He had seen Sakura's painted nails and they looked absolutely nothing like this female's.

When she leaned back and looked at her feet, he took a glance along with her and stifled a chuckle.

"_Why can't I ever paint my nails right? Well…I guess it looks better than last time."_

"Kakashi-sensei?"

The copy nin flinched, turning around in shock when he saw Naruto at the foot of his room with a look of agitation upon his face. "Kakashi-sensei, what the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be training us, you pervert! You're four hours late! Sasuke and Sakura are waiting at the bridge, and you're in trouble. Sakura's on her period and…"

It was then the dreaming Hokage stopped in his rant when he noticed there was another person in the room. "Eh? Who the hell is this?" Then as if thunder struck him in that very spot, Naruto's confused face broke out in a lecherous grin. "Ohh, I see how it is, Kakashi-sensei."

"Naruto!" Kakashi warned, his arm outstretched helplessly when the blond giggled and held up his pinky with waggling eyebrows.

"Hi, Kakashi-sensei's girlfriend!" Naruto greeted rather loudly and approached her with a friendly smile.

It would be surprising if the ghost heard him.

"Don't touch her!" Kakashi grabbed Naruto by the back of his sweater and yanked him away from the girl who was still fussing about her nails. He held down his student's mouth, moving farther away from her but still in the same room until he was satisfied with the distance. "Why are you here?" Kakashi asked harshly.

Naruto slapped his teacher's hand from his mouth, gagging with his hands wrapped around his throat. "Ugh, gross! I don't even know where your hands have been!"

Kakashi stared at him unamused. "You'd be surprised. Now, why are you here and how did you enter my home?"

"Oh," Naruto blinked, his face turning fox-like. "You see…don't be surprised when you go downstairs. Your living room looks like a battle zone from all the traps you set up. I think a kunai got my ass." And there in all proof was a small tear. "Aww, man!"

Leave it up to Naruto to make a mess of everything.

"Why won't you let me say hi, Kakashi-sensei? And…and why is she just staring at us? Isn't it courteous to greet people?" Naruto grumbled about the woman's ill manners.

"What?"

It was then when he turned around that Kakashi noticed the supposed ghost staring straight at him with huge eyes filled with wary wonderment.

Chinatsu thought she was dreaming.

Here she was about to throw herself into her books for an extra study night despite the long hours at work when she saw the black shadow again. But this time, he wasn't one dark color. His whole body was doused in different colors, showing her the real demon-ghost-thing that has been haunting her since weeks ago.

He wasn't sore to the eye; that was for sure.

But at the same time, he wasn't dressed in what you would call the norm nowadays.

She slowly stared at him, standing up at the pace of the snail as if she were in range of a wild animal. Chinatsu gulped loudly, moving her lips as she thought about how in the world she was going to communicate with this so-called spirit. When she started to say something, he suddenly moved towards her, taking a slow step at a time.

A squeak squeezed out of her and she darted away, running around him and out the bedroom door. She heard a cry of surprise as she threw herself down the stairs. Her naked feet slammed down hard upon the wooden floor, burning from the sharp turns and the occasional trips her clumsy self did. Chinatsu breathed hard, shoving her small self underneath the dining room table.

The darkness shrouded the area, making her blind to the ghost that could possibly see her.

Her teeth gnawed on her lips, fear and anxiousness building with her as she anticipated a sudden movement. There was no telling where this ghost would pop up, and what it would do now that it was not only aware of her presence but also finally modified as a human being. She was a fool to believe that he was scary colored. There was nothing more frightening than seeing a pair of eyes narrow straight at her.

She grabbed the table leg, trying to grasp some strength to calm her rapid beating heart.

"Kakashi-sensei, what the hell is going on?" Naruto yelled, running out of the room and after his teacher. He came to an abrupt stop when he slammed into Kakashi's back.

Though the man felt the full impact of Naruto's run, he didn't move a centimeter. Kakashi threw out his arm, shushing his student's loud questions silently as he studied the woman on the floor. It seemed as if she didn't notice him.

The soft whimpers coming from her were heard.

He didn't know what to make of her. She finally saw him and she ran. Here she was cuddled into a ball in the middle of his dining room like a fool. When her hand touched something, he saw the outline of a table she was hiding underneath. He saw her peek through the table and chair legs, trying to catch a glimpse of him. And when she did, she cowered in fear.

This was no jutsu. This was no haunting ghost.

She was just…just a woman.

"Kakashi-sensei, what is she doing? Why are you so quiet?" Naruto whispered, body tense just in case it needs to spring into some action if necessary.

Kakashi ignored his student. Slowly, he crouched down, keeping his eyes upon hers.

Chinatsu gripped the table leg harder with her hands, feeling the edges bite into her skin painfully. Her eyes widened more, staring at him as he bent down. His hand lifted and he spoke, "Yo."

That one syllable word made her flinch severely that the table leg screeched from her quick movement. She didn't expect that. Actually, she didn't know what to expect from this creature-man-thing. His existence, _its_ existence wasn't supposed to…exist! What the hell was she supposed to predict from it?

Slowly, the silver-haired man sat on the floor, face towards her with a black face.

Well, she couldn't really see his face because of the mask he wore, but she didn't have to. Those mismatched eyes of his were so expressive. And at the moment, they looked like they were studying her.

Kakashi blinked when she spoke.

"_What do you want?" _She asked hesitantly, gripping what looked like a chair's leg with such grip that he was sure that she was going to break it.

Kakashi hunched forward, placing his elbow on the crook of his thigh and resting his head on the palm of the hand. "Who are you?" He asked. The tone of his voice was bored, but even Naruto can see that his body posture was ready to defend and attack.

Naruto was left confused and ignored, left to study this scene with the brain that never really kicked in unless in strenuous, not to mention dangerous, situations. It wasn't until later did it kicked in (while Kakashi and Chinatsu were talking without any sense of direction) and Naruto screamed in surprised and jumped in place. "Ehhh? Kakashi-sensei, did she rob your place?"

"No, Naruto," Kakashi sighed.

"_What do you want? I'm not rich! This house may be extravagantly huge and have very, very, very expensive things, but it all belongs to my mother! Go haunt her, not me!" _

"…Then is she crazy?"

He ignored his student and continued questioning the woman slowly as if she were a child. Subtly, Kakashi moved forward by using his fisted hands to scoot forward.

"_Hey, I saw that, no coming closer!"_ She cried out childishly, pointing at him with angry eyes.

The nerve of him! Chinatsu grumbled, not realizing that her hands were slacking from the death grip she had a few minutes ago. Who the hell did he think he was? Did he think she was stupid enough to let him get away with that?

"Where are you from?" He asked.

She wasn't going to lie, but his voice was enchanting. If it was used in the right way and the right situation, she was pretty sure that it would lull her to sleep with sweet nonsense or words that make no complete sense.

But that wasn't the point!

The point was that there was a haunting spirit in here and she was scared shitless. _"Please, please, please, can't you just go away?" _She groaned. _"I'll repent, I'll say a thousand Hail Mary's and ten thousand Our Fathers. Damn, I'll even give you offerings of the most expensive food if you just leave me alone."_

"She's not making any sense, Kakashi-sensei. What language is she talking?" Naruto stepped forward, determined to make a solution for this problem and passed his teacher. Before Kakashi even had the chance to stop his student from walking to the woman, Naruto placed his hand on her shoulder.

A scream rented through the air.

"Gah!" Naruto was thrown back a few feet and slammed into the opposite wall when the woman pushed him away by the face.

Kakashi immediately stood up and crouched. He watched as she ran through the house with her hands in the air and a face full of terror. The moment she reached the foot of the stairs, she disappeared.

"Itai!"

* * *

><p>Chinatsu continued to run up the stairs with blind fear. Just a moment ago, while she was interrogating and threatening the unmoving spirit that didn't seem as dangerous, something touched her shoulder and another face appeared right in the damn face.<p>

Another spirit, another spirit, oh, god, what the hell was going on here?

Right when she was at the top of the stairs and ready to sprint her ass into her room when she slammed into something.

"Chinatsu, what the fuck?" Akane cursed loudly.

"_What's going on?" _Their mother rushed out of the bedroom, throwing on a bathroom and wrapping it tight around her waist. When her old eyes took in the squiggling forms of her two daughters, she paused there and stared at them before frowning. The sleep lines deepened, making her angry face more severe than it already was. _"Why are you fooling around? It's two in the morning."_

"_This idiot was screaming, mom. I was gonna go downstairs but she ran into me." _Akane groaned, rubbing her reddening shoulder. She kicked at Chinatsu who yelped.

"I saw a ghost!" Chinatsu cried as she struggled to untangle herself from her sister. "I saw it, oh my fucking god, Akane, I swear on my life I saw the ghost!" She started blabbing off about blond hair, blue eyes, floating silver hair that defies gravity, scars and weird clothes, leaving not only her sister, but also her mother blinking at her in concern. Her mother disappeared in her room within a second.

"And then I was hiding under the table, and he was just standing there. He was _just _standing there like he belonged there, Akane! And he started talking, he started talking in Japanese—mom, what are you doing?" Chinatsu screeched when she saw her mother coming out of her room with two katanas in hand.

A normal person would come out with guns, but her mother, a strict traditional Japanese woman, came out with swords.

"Don't go down there, no!" Chinatsu dove for her mother's feet, holding them down in place when she tried to walk down the stairs. "No, mom, no! He's still there! Don't go down, please!"

Akane reached over and yanked Chinatsu's arms from her mother's feet. "Holy shit, Chinatsu, relax!" She glanced to the side to see her mother already making her way into the living room. The younger sister yanked her hands from Chinatsu and followed her mother as back up.

"No, he's going to get you. There are two of them!"

The mother took her stance, holding the katanas in her hands with accurate posture and precision. She twirled on the balls of her feet, using her sharp eyes to take in every corner of her house, intending to find the supposed perpetrator that invaded her home. When it came to the overturned chairs, she paused there before relaxing. She turned to her youngest daughter and frowned delicately. The old woman than glanced behind Akane to see a heavy breathing, terrified Chinatsu who looked like she was ready to bolt into the streets or explode from terror and anxiety.

"_Chinatsu,_" her mother started, placing the unsheathed katanas on the dining room table. "_Are you alright?_"

"Mom, you don't understand, they're here!" Chinatsu hissed, wrapping her arms around herself as her eyes darted from corner to corner. "Let's go back upstairs, please. It's not safe here."

Akane frowned. "Jesus, Chinatsu, there's no one here. Mom just checked."

"You don't understand, goddamit. They're ghosts!"

"_Ma, ma, settle down. Chinatsu, take the next two weeks off from the hospital; both work and volunteering. I think the stress is making you…crazy." _She took the katanas and started up the stairs. _"Akane, make some green tea for your sister. After she drinks it, make sure she sleeps right away. I think sleep deprivation has something to do with these 'ghosts'." _

Immediately, the younger sister moved, the older one too stunned and fearful to as the mother went back into her room.

What the divorced woman didn't notice was a small dent on the opposite wall of the dining room table.

**Just so you're aware, Chinatsu is the one who's talking in Italics. It was going to get confusing, but I managed to merge both Chinatsu and Kakash into one non-split chapter so that it shows they can really see each other. He shows up in her world, and she in his. I included the line thing afterwards when they disappeared D: **

BAHAHAHAHAA, I'M SO EXCITED 8D The next chapter, omfg, the next chapter is going to be grand, behehehehe 8D (Is it obvious what's going to happen? 8) )

How embarrassing is it to be noticed that you're gaining weight by a super hot ninja? Not cool, man :c

Meh, not much reviewers :c But then again, I'm writing for my sake. I had to get this out and decided to publish it LOL. xiMenagerie gave me the idea, but then I totally turned it into a different plot than she originally gave me B) So, tricks up on you! XD

xiMenagerie – no spamming! I wanna gain reviews fair and square Dx

Thank you my reviewers xD

**xiMenagerie**

Verdigurl – I'm glad you like it so far! :D And here's some more XD Enjoy~!


	5. Relocation

**Chapter 5: Relocation**

"Chloe."

"_Ku-roh-ee."_

"No, no, you're doing that weird accent. Drop it. Cool-oh-ee."

"_Cue-oh-ree."_

Kakashi watched when this 'Ku-roh-ee' girl threw herself back against the couch, making it slide three centimeters on the wooden floors. She shook her head, a look of irritation on her face before looking at him. As she talked in those foreign words, he watched her gestures, her eyes glittering and mouth moving at the speed of his quick techniques. There was a mole at the edge of her lips, teasing him with silent invitation.

"Gods, why can't you just pronounce it right? It's not that hard to say," she murmured, her hand unconsciously going at his head and lightly smoothing at the tips of his hair.

It's been three weeks since he first saw her. The last two weeks, she didn't continue with her normal routine. The woman seems like she took a break from her daily activities, lounging around the house and eyeing him at the distance. Those few days had been uncomfortable, tense and unnerving. He still didn't know about her, and he kept his muscles stiff just in case anything was to happen. But nothing ever did. Instead the woman approached him and attempted to communicate with him.

Then curiosity struck her.

She then ever so slowly allowed her hand to reach up, pausing from time to time and looking at his face to see if there would be any signs of discouragement. He allowed her to do so, wanting to know whether or not if she could still feel him.

When her fingers skimmed along the tips of his fine strands of hair, he felt it. And when she felt it, she snatched her hand back as if she touched fire, staggering a few feet away and gazed at him with an expression of shocked horror.

She didn't talk to him until two days later. That was when their little talks (which were absolutely going nowhere) started.

"Hmm,"she hummed, continuing to pet the tips of his hair as if it were comforting her.

It was amusing. The first couple of times, he felt annoyed. It wasn't normal for anyone to touch his hair, with the exception of his teammates. Now, it's almost normal. There was never a moment, she didn't have her hand near his head. It was almost comforting, especially during stressful days.

Funny how things managed to work, hm?

Her eyes glanced at him, lips pursing as she noticed she was petting his hair. She didn't retract her hand. 'Ku-roh-ee' hummed again and brushed her hand through his hair once more before removing it. "Your hair is really…weird. Why does it stand like that? Exactly how much hair gel do you use? I can't even feel the hair gel! Your hair is so smoooooth!"

Her chattering continued. The curve of his lip quirked. _"__You__ just__ don__'__t__ know__ how __to __keep __quiet, __hm?__"_ He asked.

Just as Kakashi had expected, her head cocked to the right, blinking at him owlishly before muttering. "Seriously, what language are you speaking? Is it Japanese? An ancient Chinese dead language or perhaps just…gibberish?"She sighed heavily and moved away from him. Arms crossed over her chest, mouth tilted in a studying manner as she scrutinized him.

Chinatsu didn't recognize anything. He was…very, very tall for an Asian, and his muscles were more defined than the norm. She only knew of this because once she walked into the kitchen to see him shirtless, sweating profusely and drowning a glass of water as if he were a dying fish. His head tilted back, eyes closed, throat moving with a bead of sweat trickling down his jaw line.

It was one of the sexiest things she's ever seen.

He must have some mix blood. Perhaps European? If anything his body was somewhat like Daniel Henney, an American-Korean star that her friend was completely in love with.

He was definitely Asian…because from the Asians she's seen here there weren't much like him.

"Chinatsu,"

"Hm?" She turned around to see Akane dolled up, fidgeting at the bottom of the staircase, tidying her clothes from wrinkles. "Ehhh? Where are you going?"

"I'm going with Yusuke to the insect farm." Akane said slowly. She adjusted the glasses over the bridge of her nose, studying her sister. She didn't say it, but she was spying on Chinatsu for about a minute or so. It concerned Akane to see her own older sister talking to absolutely nothing.

"That's romantic." Chinatsu said sarcastically.

Akane blushed. "Shut up, you stupid cow."

The older sister grinned before glancing out the window. "Are you sure it's still open? It's already creeping to the night."

"Yes," Akane said, going to the huge, wide mirror just besides the door. An expression of annoyance spread through her face when her hair wasn't cooperating and tamed by the hairspray. "There are insects of the night, you know. The one I'm going to closes around eleven. We won't be back soon. You'll be alright, won't you?"

A wave of Chinatsu's hand made Akane disgruntled. Here she was showing concern and her sister was brushing her off. "Fine, bye fucker." She snapped before slamming the front door shut.

"Damn, that girl has major issues with her mouth." She mumbled, turning away from the front door to look at her ghost.

Chinatsu's brown eyes traveled from his face to his clothing and immediately her face twisted in morbid disgust/curiosity. What…what the hell was he wearing? Was that a flak jacket? Her hand (without permission from both her and him) splayed on the flak jacket, finger nimbly working over the green fabric and tracing the pouches over his chest.

"What's in here?"

Kakashi immediately grasped her hand when she attempted to open the small openings that had his scrolls within. _"__No,__ no,__"_ he chided as he would to a child and placed her hand back into her lap.

As if it didn't faze her, the woman's gaze went from his chest to his thighs. She leaned a bit to the right, chewing on her bottom lip as she sought to understand the white wrappings around his leg. The pouch filled with kunais and shurikens immediately enraptured her attention. Before she even attempted to reach for it, he shook his head.

It wouldn't be wise to allow her to see the weapons when they had barely started to understand one another.

"_You__ wouldn__'__t__ want __to __see __that.__ I __don__'__t__ think__ you__'__ve__ had __any __experience __with__ weapons,__ have__ you?__"_ He's seen her with a knife, carrot and cutting board. Let's just say her husband should be the cook in the future. Kakashi prevented her from opening it once again.

An irritated sigh escaped from her lips while a smirk tugged on his.

Her personality reminded him of Naruto…just a tad.

Instead of answering his question, she grabbed his hand. While his hand may be relaxed and completely malleable, his muscles tensed, body stiffening in case she was to deliver a surprise attack. With anything that seems defenseless and weak, there is always a strong point within it, always.

"Daaaang, you've got rock hard calluses!" She crowed in amazement of his hands, rotating it this way and that in utter wonderment. Her fingers traced nicks and small cuts from when he had fumbled with a kunai back in his earlier years. 'Ku-roh-ee' even tapped her fingernail upon the metal strip over the back of his gloved hand. "Why are you wearing these weird things? What era are you from?"

Kakashi leaned back, tilting his head backwards so that the top of the couch cushioned it. His eyes shut as imagined for a second if this female would allow him to search and wonder her clothes as she had done to him.

Which would never happen,

A man can dream, can't he?

Once he walked in on her dressing, which she severely punished him for. She threw hard covered books, pencils, and even a cup of glass at him.

Kakashi allowed himself to be struck by easily dodged objects, showing the girl that he was harmless. That didn't help. There were multiple times he would find her staring at him with suspicious eyes, flinching at his turtle-like movements and avoiding him like a plague. It wasn't until a couple weeks of paranoia, did she ease up.

Chinatsu leaned away from him, bringing her hands away from its trembling need to continue to explore this ghost's identity.

She literally couldn't get any information about or from him. The plausibility to gain anything from him was nothing. She didn't even know his name! Tired, the medical student sighed.

Even if her mother recommended and demanded her to take a break from her tedious and very pack-filled life, the ghost was still here. Chinatsu assumed that within a few days, he would disappear and never come back, but nope. He was still here, walking around as if this was his own home. She sniffled, turning to stare out the window as she fiddled with the necklace beneath her shirt. Wait, didn't he say something in Japanese that one time he was haunting her room?

With this newfound information, Chinatsu turned to the silver-haired man.

"Ano,"

Kakashi whipped his head towards her direction, eyes wide as the thick-accented murmur fumbled from her mouth.

She was…she was speaking his language!

Chinatsu chuckled nervously, blushing and scratching the back of her head as she attempted to communicate in the language it was impossible for her to learn. Heck, Spanish was easier! _"__Ehh,_ namue…I mean, _Chinatsu__…_my-I mean, _my __name__ is.__" _

"_Chinatsu,__" _Kakashi whispered, turning his body towards her, interest lighting in his eyes. Perhaps he will be able to give Tsunade a more informed report this time rather than the woman's intense likes for stuffed animals, food, and her fear of spiders. Her name was Chinatsu. _"__Chinatsu?__Your__ name__ is__ Chinatsu?__" _

"Aw, fuck," she cursed, slapping a palm over her eyes. Why did she attempt this when she knew she could even hold a decent conversation with a three year old? _"__Chinatsu.__" _She said while patting her chest. Repeating this a couple of times, she finally gestured her hand towards him, asking for his name in the same manner she had given hers.

"_Hatake Kakashi." _

"Hah-tay-kay Caca?" Chinatsu's face neutralized, lips tempting to burst out the rambunctious laughter sealed up in her gut.

"_Ka-ka-shee."_

"Kuh-kah-ji."

He has never mentioned this to anyone before, but no one needed to hear his words of how much he hated kids. Children's red faced, tearful cries that pierced anyone's eardrum within a twenty-foot radius irked him greatly. Their curious faces simply spelled out mischief. When a child attempts to communicate with words rather than action, it didn't make Kakashi coo at them. It made him irritated that they could quickly learn. How in the world anyone had any patience with such troublemaking things was a mystery to him. He didn't like kids, didn't like reteaching what he knows to someone else. And at that moment, he was feeling it; the annoyance of teaching someone as simple as his name.

Teaching was obviously not his forte. Why he was a jounin with a team…was even a mystery to him.

"_Kakashi,__" _he said once more, normally, not forcing any syllables in order for the woman to grasp.

As if she noticed his stoney attitude, immediately she straightened out as if she were in front of the Hokage and gave him a straight face. "Ga-ga-ji."

A heavy sigh escaped from his lips as he lowered his head into his hand, massaging his temples. An evil ache was growing up along the back of his neck, over his ear and into his brain. Hopefully, this woman-ghost would disappear quickly so he wouldn't have to deal with her anymore. Kakashi wasn't exactly keen on sharing his own home.

Kakashi placed a leg onto his coffee table, stretching out the unused muscles.

Chinatsu looked away from him, straightening herself from her slouched posture on the couch when she noticed something shimmering from beneath 'Ga-ga-ji's' foot. A transparent table appeared beneath his hovering foot, showing the wooden, polished ridges of it, sloping up and down in an intricate design that left anyone breathless. Her head cocked to the right when she noticed a book on top of it.

Without asking permission, she reached over and grabbed it.

"_Book?" _

Without a muscle tweaking on his face, Kakashi nodded. He watched as she stared at the cover with interest, curiosity eating her face at the woman running away from the male on the cover. She opened it and flipped through the pages.

It told him she didn't know how to read his language.

Chinatsu smiled at him and placed it back. She crossed her legs and laced her fingers together, hooking them over her knee as she looked around. 'Ga-ga-ji's' name whispered from her lips from time to time as she looked around, brooding about the unidentified ghost sitting right besides her. She didn't know how she would be able to pinpoint his exact identity. She only knew he was an Asian man, perhaps in his late 20s or early thirties (maybe mid-thirties!) and was dressed weirdly. She couldn't even tell what era he came in because of his clothes. It rejected all possibilities and theories.

She sighed. "How in the world can I help you move on? There has to be a way."

Kakashi glanced out the window and couldn't help but feel worried. Chinatsu hadn't talk to any third party within the house for a long time. He remembered she waved goodbye with a cheeky smile, but after that…nothing.

Was it safe for her to stay alone in the dark?

Usually he wasn't as concerned about a woman's safety, but that was only because the women in his village were kunoichis. They were more than capable of taking care of themselves. But her…Chinatsu was just a regular, helpless woman. He was sure she couldn't do anything to hurt another life being. His lone eye went from the top of her head to her toes and mentally shook his head. There's no way there was an ounce of mean muscle in her.

A shadow flickering outside a window caught his attention. He turned his head and peered outside. Kakashi wasn't looking through his own home window; he was looking outside of Chinatsu's window.

Why was he suddenly able to see her house?

"_Nani?__" _He said, jumping to his feet when his whole house shifted into something different.

"_Kakashi!__" _Someone knocked on the door.

Hyped up on adrenaline and cautiousness, Kakashi jumped away from Chinatsu, slightly crouching as he assessed his surroundings. The house was more feminine, dashed with a scent of intellectuality. Books were thrown everywhere: on the coffee table, piled up near walls and there was even one snug between the couch's cushions. Desperate knocking on the door fazed him from his combat-like stance and observation. _"__Asuma?__" _He called out.

The man came through the door and stilled before walking through the doorway. He took a long breath from his cigarette and blew out the gray air from his lungs. _"__Did __you __change__ your__ place?__" _

"_No. This is her place."_

Asuma stared at the female on the couch, talking in an unknown language while pushing herself into the crevice of the couch.

She suddenly harshly flinched.

"_What__'__s __going __on?__" _Asuma asked, unconsciously taking out his knives. They instantly ignited with chakra.

Kakashi didn't answer him as he watched Chinatsu's face constricted with worry and a touch of fear. _"__What__'__s__ going __on,__ Chinatsu?__" _He asked. She ignored him as she slowly moved around the couch, staring up the stairs to the second floor of the two-story house. His eyes went to her hands, which was gripping the couch with a deadly grip. _"__Chinatsu?__"_

"_Kakashi, what the hell-" _

Suddenly her eyes bulged with such fear that it was amazing Kakashi didn't feel it radiating within the room. Before he can walk up to her, Chinatsu darted past him, banging her knee against the coffee table, but ignoring it as she scampered within a hallway closet.

There were people in her house. People! And it wasn't just two or three. Chinatsu was damn sure she heard five fucking voices upstairs. Five. Voices.

She cowered inside of the closet she stuffed herself in, breathing slowly but sure that it was loud than ever. The rowdiness of the intruders was loud and brash, knocking frames down the ground and stomping through the house as if they owned it. She heard them laughing drunkingly, swiping at each other with playful banter as they continued their riot.

Chinatsu prayed from the depth of her heart that they didn't find her. She feared that if they did, they'd rape her.

Her whole body froze when they entered the living room.

"Aww, fuck, man, my head hurts." One complained. The couch groaned with added weight.

"No shit, dumbass. I pushed you down the stairs!" This voice was closest to her, leaning against the wall.

The rest were messing around, singing lyrics to a song from Metallica as they trashed the place. Chinatsu crouched down quietly, taking sweaters and piling them on top of her to ensure her utmost safety. She sat there for almost fifteen minutes, listening to the painful crashing of plates, valuables and the turns of her sofas. It was positive that the flat screen television her mother broke her back to purchase had a huge hole in it.

Why didn't she have her cell phone? Where the hell did she leave it? Chinatsu mentally groaned at her defenseless self, frustrated that she cannot do anything to salvage her home.

"Come on, guys, let's raid another house. This one is getting boring."

"Okay, let's go to Danny's house!"

"Fuck yeaaah!"

Just when they were ready to leave, 'Ga-ga-ji's' head went through the sweater she covered herself with, barely two centimeters away from her face. She yelped through her hand over her mouth.

"_Kakashi,__ they__'__re__ closing __in.__" _Asuma said, swiping at them with his chakra knives and growing irritated by the moment as it went through the men's chest, causing no harm.

Kakashi cursed when the five reckless boys froze, realizing there was someone in the house. _"__Chinatsu,__ you__ need __to __get__ out __of __here!__" _He yelled, moving forward to grab her wrist. When she avoided his hand and tried to wiggle away from him, he gritted his teeth and snapped out, _"__Stop__ fighting!__" _The second time he aimed for her wrist, his finger's enclosed around.

A girlish scream rented through the air as he threw the closet door open and dragged Chinatsu quickly through the men who filed around the front door. Kakashi attempted to push one away, but his hand merely went through. The fast-pace he was going at came to a ragged stop. The woman besides him screamed when both she and he came to a realization that her other wrist had been captured.

"Where you going, pretty girl?" The drunkard leaned far too close for Kakashi's liking.

The guy squinted at her, pulling harder at her wrist when she was pulled away. Her arm was outstretched as if someone else was pulling her. "What the hell?" He yanked harder, twisting it in an odd angle that surely caused pain.

Chinatsu gasped in utter agony, trying to twist her hand away but was unable to. "Let me go! Let me go!" She felt 'Ga-ga-ji' wrap his arms around her midsection and pulled her away.

"_Get __the__ door__ open!__" _Kakashi ordered Asuma.

"Stop squirtming, dammit!"

A young man with a scar running down his face grabbed her thin shirt and pulled, grinning madly when the v-neck revealed a creamy breast encased in a black bra. "Guess we got really lucky tonight guys!" He whooped, licking his lips and attempted to get closer to the petrified female. But when he blinked his eyes a couple of times, he realized that the girl was leaning back, as if an invisible beam supported her. "…The fuck? Someone grab her leg!"

The thin, pencil-like one from the group wrapped his arms around her leg and gave a hefty pull. It should've knocked her immediately on her back, but instead she just hovered in the air, her hands wailing in the air as if she was to be crucified on a cross.

He giggled insanely, too hyped up on the cocaine running through his veins. Without a thought, he opened his mouth and bit down harshly on the thigh he was holding on.

Chinatsu screamed and started kicking out her legs.

"Stop fucking moving!" One with liberty spikes snarled, flicking open a knife and slashing it around.

"HELP!" She screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Someone help me! HELP!"

"Shit, someone shut the bitch!"

Asuma rushed over to help Kakashi once the door was open, intent on helping the girl. He half expected his hand to go through her but quickly got into action when he realized that he could touch her solid body. His tanned arm wrapped around her birthing hips as another arm wrapped around her thigh and yanked back.

"Oh my god…" Chinatsu breathed out, eyes growing wide when she saw another ghost appear besides her. Her jaw slacked, mind forgetting about the danger she was in as she stared at the man who was dressed similarly as 'Ga-ga-ji'.

What the hell is it with these sudden ghosts appearance?

Before she could say 'Ga-ga-ji's' name, Chinatsu felt warmth humming within the very depth of her stomach. "What…w-what in the world?" Her brown eyes widened, warming to the same intensity as her stomach, staring in a trace at the light that glowed there. There was nothing…there was nothing compared to anything she had ever felt to this feeling. She felt transparent. Her very being felt like she was thin-air in the atmosphere waiting to disperse into the troposphere, the stratosphere and the mesosphere.

Atoms in her body battled against one another, blood rushing faster and faster making her lightheaded. Her fingers light twitched into a ticking time that her body only heard. The warmth hummed, caressing her skin like a tempted lover, coiling into a strong, energized ball that only the sun can match to. Ever so slowly, Chinatsu exhaled, the last precious breath of her body slithered into the air like a snake lazily sunbathing in the desert.

Then all that compacted energy exploded.

Kakashi was forced to release Chinatsu as the light got brighter. He heard the robbers scream in shock and fear, but heard no more of them as the explosion of multiple beams descended as his hands rose up to protect his face.

Once the horror tumbled down, he lowered his arms. Asuma, who hadn't released Chinatsu or wasn't fast enough, was crumbled at one of the walls of the living room, which was immediately turned back to Kakashi's bachelor pad. Debris fell as dust rose.

The copy nin turned to the middle of chaos, unsure of what to expect. When the body of Chinatsu appeared once the dust settled down, Kakashi stared.

Her skin glowed, as did the colors of her clothes. It was as if she was really there in his world, which would be impossible considering that she was from a whole different area. But that thought was immediately vanquished when he realized the dust settling sprinkled over her face and clothes.

It was then he realized the roof of his house, which was directly over Chinatsu had a hole in it.

What in the world?

"_Kakashi-sensei!__" _A pink blur whipped up right next to him.

Sakura assessed the situation in her pajamas, her green eyes darting from corner to corner until she deemed it safe to relax from her crouched position. Standing up, the female team member of Team 7 quickly dashed to Asuma. _"__How__ long__ has__ he __been__ out?__What __the__ hell __happened?__" _She asked, her hand glowing as she checked her best friend's teacher's vitals. _"__Tsunade __is __freaking__ out,__ Kakashi.__ What__ the__ hell __is __going__ on? __Why __on __earth __did __your __house __explode? __Especially __in __the __middle__ of __the __night! __ANBUS__ have __already __been__ dispatched __to __the __borders __in __case __this __was __an __attack!__" _

She stopped speaking, healing the groaning man as she stared at the woman lying down in the middle of the living room. _"__Ehh?__ Who__'__s __that?__" _

Suddenly the air around the woman shimmered before she completely disappeared.

**Kakashi's dialogue is in italics, just like it is when Chinatsu's sister and mother are speaking in Japanese. Italics will last out until Chinatsu has a better grasp of the language, but until then it'll be in italics (: **

Sorry it took so long for the chapter to come out, but I was busy D: Life is getting more complicated and I fear I won't have a chance to update as much as I want too ): Including on fictionpress D:

If you have any questions about this chapter, feel free to ask.

Thank you my reviewers! ;D

**Verdigurl** KitsuneNEh

**Verdigurl**** – **Sorry for the wait! XD Here's the chapter and I'm glad you're happy :D


	6. Wonderment

**Chapter 6: Wonderment**

"Ehhh? No, fucking way, dog breath, I don't believe you!" Naruto cursed, punching Kiba's shoulder as he attempted to rid the thought of Kiba necking with a village girl.

Kiba cursed as he almost fell off of the tree he was bunked on. "Holy fuck, I almost fell! Calm down, dropout!" He grumbled, fixing himself. "And shut up! You're so loud, the whole village can probably hear our conversation from here."

At the moment, the two were on border patrol. Rumors from the east spread to their village, warning them about the possibility of Orochimaru and the Akatsuki banding together in order to bring Konohagakure down. And no rumor was taken lightly, especially if Jiraiya carried the information and went as far to report it to Tsunade.

Tsunade immediately ordered the patrols to double after a freak accident at Kakashi's house yesterday. Though nothing was said, and the tight-lipped Hokage refused to answer Naruto's curiosity, it didn't satisfy the blond.

The uncomfortable feeling of impending doom nagged at Naruto's conscious, but there was nothing so far.

Naruto sighed heavily, hating this duty more than the thought of Ichiraku closing down for life. He's been out here for five hours and nothing happened. Nothing! The darkness of the night enveloped the sleeping village, and here he was getting irritated by the moment.

Just the thought of border patrol irked him to a point he found his hands clenching and teeth grinding. "Eh!" He grunted, crossing his arms over his chest and sniffling when a gust of cold wind blew. "Why is it getting windy all of a sudden?" He complained, grasping the edges of the gray blanket and wrapping it closer around his shivering body.

Akamaru scoffed, shifting around at the base of the tree his owner was perched upon before snoozing off once more.

"You know the weather's been crazy nowadays, dumbass." Kiba couldn't help but agree with Naruto quietly. Why was it getting windy all of a sudden? It was unnatural.

Before Naruto could retort, a high-pitch screech rented into the air.

Both nins placed their hands over their ears, wincing at the almost angry sound that continued to shriek with such an infuriating cry that it could have possibly traveled in approximately three thousand miles.

Naruto opened his mouth, screaming as he attempted to try and talk over the sound. But it was impossible. Yelps and whines from under grasped his attention. He watched as Akamaru shook his head furiously, from time to time digging his face into the dirt. Kiba, who had fallen from the tree branch, was twitching as if he had epilepsy due to the fact that his hearing was heightened to that of a dog, even more.

A blue light caught Naruto's peripheral vision. The brightness of it reflected off of his eyes, darting quickly across the sky and landing with an echoing slam a few couple miles from where he stood. Immediately the enraging squeal came to an abrupt stop.

Kiba was breathing harshly, face perspiring like a fresh glass of beer. He felt his muscles quivering and heart beating like a jackhammer within his chest. "Wh-what the hell…was that?" Gasping as he attempted to stand, Kiba grunted, letting out a low, stuttering whistle for Akamaru's response.

His dog snuffled; a complete mirror image of his master as he, too, tried to stand.

"I don't know." Naruto replied, staring off where it landed.

"Naruto-kun," An ANBU landed next to him. "The Hokage requires everyone to-"

Naruto grinned, feeling adrenaline rushing through his veins. He saluted the ANBU, chirping out, "Gotcha!" before darting off.

"Naruto!" But it was hopeless. The blond ninja was already off and into the darkness of the trees. Neji sighed heavily, shaking his head slightly before falling next to the dog nin. "Hokage-sama sent out orders to the border patrols to report back to her as soon as possible. She has already dispatched a couple of ANBU teams to investigate the comet." Neji's pearly eyes gazed from his mask to the sky, his eyebrows furrowing. "There has already been more than a couple Jonins who are replacing those on border duty in case of an invasion."

"I don't think I'll be serving any information tonight." Kiba stumbled to his feet, feeling like a newborn calf. "I didn't even see a comet."

"Naruto did." Neji commented. Vein-like bumps rose around his eyes, his vision extending and clearing to one hundred miles, scanning for yellow hair. "It seems as if Naruto-kun knows where to go," he mumbled quietly to himself, focusing on the orange jacket flying through the trees. Neji let out a swift whistle before flicking his fingers towards the direction Naruto was.

Instantly three clothed ANBUS ran forth.

The anticipation, the excitement flowered through Naruto's body like an explosion of arts. His feet slammed on the firmness of the branches, pushing off of it and flying through like the cunning fox he was. His nostrils flared, scenting the wind for the brief smell of foreignness and a touch of heated smoke that appeared when the blueness flared in the sky.

Whatever the hell just happened was going to be catastrophic. He can taste drama in his mouth.

Boy, was Tsunade-obachan going to have a field day. No, week…perhaps a month, or more.

Naruto continued to run at what seemed forever until rising smoke caught his eyes. "What the hell?" He said, holding his hands out by his sides to see ash falling from the sky. "What the hell is this?"

It was as if it were snowing death and decay.

Ashes fell over his hand, layering over it like a greedy ex-wife.

He hummed, closing his hand into a fist before continuing towards the burning trees. The trees were coming to a point where they were fragile from excess burns, unable to support his weight as he traveled. It forced him to run on land, dodging falling branches as leaves and ashes fell all around him.

The kyuubi container continued to run a few more miles until he came to the main attraction of the event.

Naruto slowly approached the crater, wincing as he held an arm over his nose as the stench of smoke and burning trees got to him. A few shrubs and leaves continued to burn, cackling as it could no longer hold it's forte and fall to the undying inferno.

The nin scanned around until he was satisfied that no one was around. He then looked down at the circular, hollow depression upon Mother Earth's face. Around the wide opening, the edges were blackened, steaming with hot coals that only volcanoes can withstand. Dead grass finished the completion of the disaster, a few fires here and there.

Trained eyes examined the area, looking for anything that might give him an idea of what went on.

When a pair of tracks caught his attention, Naruto immediately barreled towards it. "Hm?"These tracks…it almost looked like human imprints. And they were headed away from the crash site.

He didn't realize, as he was looking, that a pair of brown eyes stared at him with unimaginable fear before sprinting off.

Where the hell was she?

Was this…was this hell?

Chinatsu gulped rather loudly despite how quiet she tried to be. Her trembling fingers held onto each other for support. She held her breath until the blond boy ran off where she had been wandering around. A moment of familiarity nagged at her before she waved it away to concentrate on her survival. The clothes she had been wearing were still the same (pink pajama shorts decorated with yellow smiling stars and an olive green tank top), tattered and dirty from her clumsiness at exploring.

The wound on her legs throbbed, bringing it to her attention. Blood was oozing from the cuts one of the robbers slashed her with, the bite wound flashing an angry red-purple.

A whimper escaped from her constantly bitten lips when her finger skimmed over the bite. The skin around the teeth marks was swollen and puffy. The multiple knife wounds (which she counted, six) were either bleeding profusely or just reddening. Bruises around her midsection, hips and right thigh were bruised due to 'Ga-ga-ji's' and the unknown man's iron-like hold.

This was definitely hell.

Her best guess was that she died at the hands of those assholes that vandalized her home. The thought of her death made her stop, thinking about her mother and sister. It broke her heart into numerous pieces just to think of it.

Sniffling, Chinatsu rose to her naked feet, wincing when small sticks and stones protruded into the soft flesh.

She had to continue to move. From what she's seen the blond boy do, there was clear clarity that he was trained to search, and perhaps destroy. Forcing her tired limbs to move, Chinatsu stepped away from the shrub she used for a temporary shelter. Dodging the still burning hot rocks and small sets of fire, she made it just pass the crater only to feel a shiver of awareness rushing up her spine.

Chinatsu spun around and gasped at the sight of a dark figure just a couple of feet from her.

A dark chuckle escaped from the hidden man, barely a vicious smile visible on his face. "My sweet precious, precious summon…hm-hm-hm." The words made her flinch, not knowing what it meant or what he was capable of. "There is nothing to fear. Come."

He held out a hand, whispering a name of a forbidden jutsu as his hand glowed blue.

Unfamiliar with what the hell was going on, Chinatsu was paralyzed. She watched as his hand glowed, positioned straight at her and could only guess that it would cause her harm. The strength from her knees washed away and she collapsed onto the dirt, only able to kick away weakly from the approaching man. She closed her eyes and turned her head away as his glowing hand cupped her cheek.

"Come and join me…what?"The man's sweet words ended with an exclamation of surprise that was so harsh, Chinatsu flinched.

Why…why wasn't this working? He snarled, taking a step back before assessing his hand. The unknown man said the words once more (with such anger), and his hand flashed a furious blue. But when he touched the girl…nothing happened.

"Hmmm."His hand fell by his side, useless for the moment. Responsible for this main event that was going nowhere (for now, that is), he bent down and hefted his experiment up by the upper arms. Once she stood firm and still, he dusted her off of the clinging dirt, attempted to heal her wounds but it, too, was rejected. Curious by this revelation, he stood back. He patted her head, smirking at her fearful expression and said: "Take care. I'll come for you later."

Before he was able to disappear and leave her with a parting gift only someone as malicious as he can think of, the ANBUS he felt were far away just happened to land just before him.

"The fun must wait."He told the three who surrounded him and his fun. Knowing that they were mediocre to his greatness, he placed a wet sounding kiss to the girl's forehead before disappearing in black smoke.

Chinatsu stepped away from the smoke, coughing as it invaded her lungs. She waved it away, oblivious to the shouts and yells commanding her of something. When she opened her watery eyes, she noticed the three weirdly dressed people collapse, twitching and spasm on the forest ground, clutching at their throats, breathing awkwardly before coming to an utter stop.

Nervous, she staggered back, arms wrapped around her as she stared at the unmoving bodies.

What the hell?

She whimpered, chewing on her lip harder as she attempted to run. Chinatsu felt the comparison of a domesticated animal released into the wild, unsure of what to do or where to go. A harsh sob came from her, threatening to paralyze her on the spot and prevent her from going anywhere.

Shaking her head, Chinatsu forced herself to take a step forth and try to at least find civilization. She stepped around the stilled bodies and was about to walk away when an orange flash burst from her right.

Unwilling to wait for another fiasco, Chinatsu booked it.

She gasped, running in a zigzag as she attempted to lose the strangler behind. The heart within her chest beat fast, desperately trying to zap from her chest. _"Oh, god,"_ she breathed, looking over her shoulder to see no one there.

Confused, she slowed her five-second sprint to a jog, continued to look over her shoulder for any sign of the man who had given her a kiss. She blanched, wiped a hand over her forehead and grimaced. When she faced forward, a scream squeezed from her as she went barreling right into a blond boy who had his arms open, bracing for her impact.

"Gotcha!" Naruto cried out, wrapping his arms around the running woman. He was immediately thrown on his back.

Sooner than he expected, Naruto had a fist in his face. He yelped, closing his arms around her frame tighter, preventing her from escaping. "Hey, hey, calm down!" Though it was only for a moment, Naruto remembered that this was the woman from his sensei's house. "I'm Kakashi-sensei's student, you don't have to be scared-"

_"Ga-ga-ji?"_ Chinatsu instantly ceased her wild movements. Her small frame was squished against his painfully, his hands gripping hard.

Naruto looked down at her weird, hesitantly lessening his hard grip. "No, it's Ka-ka-shee."

_"Ga-ga-ji."_

Despite the dark and awkward situation he was in, Naruto laughed. His fox-like face descended when he realized what was happening. "What are you doing out here? You're so far from Konohagakure's border." With a swiftness that can only match Sakura's mean right hook, Naruto stood from the ground, leaning down to offer a hand to the woman. "Here, onee-san."

Chinatsu frowned, sitting on her bum as she looked at the offered hand. He…he knew 'Ga-ga-ji'? Wait, then that means…

'Ga-ga-ji' isn't a ghost.

What the hell does that mean then? Why was 'Ga-ga-ji' haunting her house? Chinatsu bit her lip, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. What was really going on here?

_"Where am I?"_

Naruto blinked and slowly his hand lowered back to his side. "Onee-san, are you okay?"

_"Where am I?"_

When she repeated that, Naruto gulped uneasily. Unsure of what was going on, he looked back at the collapsed ANBUS and his face hardened into a serious expression. Knowing a poison agent when he saw one (especially when his teammate was a medical ninja), Naruto placed his hands together.

A puff of smoke rose from his side, and his double nodded silently before taking off with another three. Three grabbed one ANBU while the other ran ahead to give an early warning for the load that was about to be dumped in the hospital.

"Come on, onee-san."Naruto reached down but was only slapped away by the girl.

_"What the fuck was that?"_ Chinatsu screeched, her brown eyes huge from fearful wonderment. She saw the blond boy cast some kind of magic and even saw doubles! She wasn't high. She was damn sure of it, because each mirror image of the exact boy who stood in front of her, left imprints on the ground, which confirmed the quiet question that they were real.

Unless this was all a dream…it had to be a dream. It must be a dream!

"As soon as we reach the village, I'll find Kakashi-sensei for you."Naruto promised.

She paused in her internal craziness. _"Ga-ga-ji?"_ How pathetic she must be to be dependent on a ghost, which wasn't a ghost at all. Knowing that her (pre) ghost was laidback and calm, she just knew that she had to get to him. _"Can you get me to…'Ga-ga-ji'?"_

As if he knew what she was saying, he leaned down and picked her tiny self up. Without a warning, he went running towards the village.

Chinatsu felt her heart thudding in her chest, fluttering within the ribcage with the intent to fly off. She gripped the boy harder. The embarrassment to be carried by a boy who was years younger than her (practically Akane's age!) was washed away as sleepiness effortlessly tried to induce her. Her brown strands slapped her face, waking her up from reality.

"Don't worry, onee-san," the boy holding her chirped. "I'll get you back to the village soon and then you'll be able to be back home! Soon, you can be with Kakashi-sensei and…uh…" He paused, a light blush with a grimace enrapturing his face. "And do whatever the hell you want. Aw, gross!"

Just thinking about his sensei's sex and romantic life made Naruto cringe. It was an awful feeling, worse than that one time he drank a gallon of expired milk.

Chinatsu didn't respond to the boy's enthusiastic words. She held onto him for what felt like the longest time before gates up ahead caught her attention. Brown eyes gazed at it, studying the tall wooden structures that kept outsiders out…outsiders like her. Unconsciously, she held onto the blond boy tighter. The feeling of impending danger crept up at her nape, nipping and tickling her senses.

"Let me in, Izumo! It's Naruto!"

The man at the gate lifted his head at the sound of the famous nin. "Ah, Naruto. You were due in to see the Hokage earlier. Weren't you on border patrol?"

"EH?" Naruto gaped. "Was that what Neji was going to say?" He came to a stop before Izumo, panting hard with the woman still in his arms. Years of training made it possible for him to carry anything. Well, he'd like to think 'anything', when in reality Sakura can carry a house over her head. "I should've stayed when Neji reported to us. I know I'm in for hell." He whined. "Did you get the wounded ANBUS?"

Izumo nodded. "They're already heading straight to the hospital with Sakura-san and Shizune-san." He smiled, shrugging at the mixture expression of relief and misery on the blonde's face, and knew that he was going to have to deal with both Hokage and her apprentice. "Good luck." His eyes went to the shivering woman in Naruto's arm. "Want me to take the damsel in distress?"

"Nah," Naruto bent his legs, getting ready to run off again. "I'm sending her over to Kakashi-sensei's house once I'm done with obasan."

"Huhh? Why?"

"She's his girlfriend!"With those words said, Naruto sped off, leaving Izumo in wonderment.

Chinatsu didn't know whether she wanted to run or die. Her eyes were huge, staring at each shack and swapmeet-like venders as they raced by. She even noticed the type of clothes they were wearing was something not norm. It was as if she was in some parallel universe. The Twilight Zone has finally invited itself into her life and wasn't going to let her go easily.

And what…were those children throwing knives at each other?

Unconsciously, she tightened her arms around the boy's neck, continuing to stare into the world she was sucked into.

She wasn't wearing red, sparkling shoes, and surely her name wasn't Dorothy.

And she sure as hell wasn't in California anymore.

"Hold on tight!"

_"Huh-"_ Before Chinatsu was able to finish her one syllable grunt, she felt the wind whipping her hair around as she shot into the sky. A piercing shriek escaped from her lips, voice growing hoarse as her stomach dropped to her feet.

Brown eyes clenched shut, noodle limbs tightening and strengthening in a split second. It didn't matter whether or not if she landed or was still flying through the air, she continued to scream like an unforgiving mother whose child been murdered.

"…Eh, oneesan, we're not dying here, ya know…" Naruto stiffened at the balcony of the Hokage's office. But his words didn't comfort her. His eardrums were on the verge of shattering at her scream. "Onesan, if you don't stop screaming…" It was too late. He was already surrounded by the Hokage's own personal guards. "It's okay, guys, she's just scared of heights."

His words didn't satisfy their suspicion or lessen the tension their bodies held.

"Naruto-kun," The ANBU with the hawk mask obviously eyed the small, still screaming female. "Please tell me you are aware that strangers and foreigners are not allowed within the vicinity of the Hokage-sama's office unless the Hokage-sama permits it."

"Pfft, she's alright. She's Kakashi-sensei's girlfriend. Hey, hey, it's alright now." He told her, shaking her a bit to catch her attention and stop her from screaming.

She instantaneously stopped, shoving her face into his shoulder.

"Onesan, it's okay-"

"What the hell is going on?" The two-door entrance blasted open as the Hokage herself barreled through with a face that only the devil can face. Tsunade had just finished visiting the hospital, completing intensive surgeries and gaining the reports from the three ANBUS who had gone after Naruto. She sent jounins after Naruto and threw out a few hunter-nins to investigate the plausibility of Madara's appearance.

Tsuande, who was currently running on three hours of sleep and no sake, was incredibly cranky and pissed at the world.

Her fiery eyes landed on Naruto, and she was about to give him the sermon of the millennium when she noticed the female. It didn't make her expression soften. "Who's that?" She demanded, nose crinkling with the intensity of mistrust and fury.

Naruto blinked, taken by surprise that he wasn't punched yet. "Uhh…I found her in the woods. She's Kaka-"

It answered the silent question Tsunade asked herself. "Take her in." She ordered mercilessly.

"NANI?" Naruto didn't even have a chance to defend himself. Within a split second he was ambushed and the woman was taken away from him. "What-? What's going on? Tsunade-obasan, what the hell—ACK!"

Two ANBUS grabbed the terrified female, and before Naruto was given a chance to grab her back, they disappeared.

Tsunade turned heel and walked back into her office with a grim expression. She ignored Naruto who was floundering by her side, screaming and demanding answers. "Naruto, I cannot tell you anything. This is a classified case." She turned to Neji. "Tell the two who had taken her that I want her immediately given to Morino Ibiki." A wave of her hand and he, too, disappeared without a trace. Without breaking her pace, she walked towards her office doors, ready to witness the event history can ever create.

"Ibiki?" Naruto gasped, moving his mouth, unable to speak. "Wait, she's not a traitor! She's Kakashi-sensei's girlfriend!"

His words became a twenty-foot wall that she must force herself not to jump over.

"…What?" Tsuande swerved around. "Have you seen her before?"

"Yeah! I went to Kakashi-sensei's house and saw her there one day. She was acting pretty weird though…" Naruto frowned, scratching the premature hair on his chin. "I was going to talk to her but…I think I fainted or no, wait, she punched me…actually, I think I I know I saw her!"

Tsunade cursed beneath her breath. She can only be thankful that it wasn't Ino, who had started a nasty habit of spying on the older, 'sexy', male jounins, and the female was known to spread gossip like burning fire. "Naruto…goddamit." She gave off a heavy sigh, walking towards him. When she placed a hand on his shoulder, she lowered herself to his eye level. "Naruto,you must not tell anyone about her. Anyone. Got it?"

His eyebrow twitched. "Why?"

She nearly killed him when his eyebrow moved. "Alright, who did you tell?"

"Why does it matter? Tsunade-obasan, what's going on?Why—GAH!" His cheek glowed a fiery red, head bashed on the floor of her office and face rubbing harshly against her woolen rug imported from a different continent.

"Who was it?" She snapped.

"Izumo! I told Izumo!" Naruto cried out. He grunted, throwing out his leg to try and catch her off guard but the sannin merely jumped back elegantly.

She nodded towards the window to the one guard that was still in the room. Without a spoken command, the ANBU left.

"Naruto, follow me." Without waiting for a loud response from him, she walked out of her office and was headed towards a direction with intent to closely supervise.

And then she began.

"From what I know, the woman was thought to be a ghost haunting Hatake Kakashi's home. We had Yuuhi Kurenai ensure if it was a genjutsu. It wasn't. The female has been wandering around as if it were her own for about one to two months. A couple weeks after he noticed her presence, something extraordinary happened, something unusual happened that caused this woman, who couldn't see him before, touch and communicate with him." She paused, heading towards Shizune, who had returned from the hospital, and gave her an order to head back over to the hospital and check on the new patients. As soon as that was complete, Tsunade continued walking.

"I ordered him to give me reports." She made a turn, barely missing a genin with stacks of paper. "He noticed someone had sneaked into his home a couple of times, leaving the windows open, dirt marks in his home and even ruining the roses in his backyard." The pig-tailed woman shook her head at the remembrance of the copy-nin giving extra detail to his 'trampled babies', as he had put it.

Naruto slowed to a stop, giving a quizzical look. "But who would try to break in? Did they steal anything?"

She shook her head and said over her shoulder, "As a ninja, you gain enemies. Any ninja is lucky to pass the age of thirty."

Knowing this well enough, Naruto caught up with the woman who had witnessed his strength and given him respect.

"Throughout time, he gained a theory that she wasn't a ghost. And it was confirmed today when his home gained the illusion of hers. He saw her home, which had the same building structure as his but different interior design."

"What does that mean?" Naruto asked.

"We…we don't know what we're dealing with." There were many theories, many unanswered questions that left this secretive main attraction at a dud. The woman's existent was on a hush-hush, forced to become a classified mission that only a few selected ones were chosen to acknowledge. Her being could possibly be a threat from another village or even from a syndicate. There was no knowing what was going on, but they were working hard to get any valuable information.

Tsunade paused at the entrance of the interrogation hall, turning towards Naruto as she placed a hand on the handle. "Long story short, she appeared in Kakashi's house yesterday, in the flesh. We don't know how she got there or how she disappeared from there and ended up in the forest."

"The woman was seen near the comet collision by the three ANBUS Neji sent after you ran off without listening to my report to every nin on border duty. When your bunshins dropped them off at the hospital, I rushed there and helped Sakura come up with an antidote. They woke up and were barely conscious to give me information, but they did." Tsunade entered the room, nodding silently to the Yamanakas, Asuma, Kurenai, Genma, Yamato and Hatake Kakashi who stood before a two mirrored window, watching a trembling woman seated before Ibiki.

"We," Tsunade started, carefully wording her sentence so that no one could misinterpret what she was about to say. "We are suspecting she is a human experiment or summon implanted in Kakashi's home for testing. Why? We don't know."

She paused, watching as the scarred man leaned towards the woman who shook her head and started to cry. "Either that or we believe she, a willing accomplice to murder and assassinate Hatake Kakashi for reasons not known, has a romantic relationship with Uchiha Madara, who was seen kissing her forehead before poisoning our Special Force with a disappearing act."

**Oh, god, it's getting exciting just to write all this :DD I can't wait to finish up the next chapter xD**

**ITALICS – ENGLISH**

**REGULAR FONT - JAPANESE**

So, just to fix up any confusion, the whole chapter is during the middle of the night. C:

I'm honestly happy that I got more reviews! I thought this story wasn't interesting anybody at all, haha. I guess I just have to continue to update in order to gain other people's attention. Thank you!

Thank you for reviewing!

**BunniandMe** _KitsuneNEH_AikoTachibana

**Kakashi4life – **That's exactly the same reason why I don't search for Kakashi fics anymore, haha. The pairings get too common and boring, (unless it has a very good plot!) and that's why I created a KakashixOC fic ;D Something refreshing x)) Aww, haha. You're a replica of Chinatsu! xD

**Keisha – **I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! (: Here's the next chapter ;D


	7. Inquiry

**Chapter 7: Inquiry**

The room chilled her body to a degree where goosebumps rose all over her skin. Concealed in only shorts and a tank top, Chinatsu was completely exposed to a man that had serial killer written all over him.

Hot tears cascaded down her face. She looked away from the raging face in front of her, closing her eyes to prevent herself from putting eyes on him. Wrists and ankles fought against the restraints, unwilling to settle down on the hard wooden chair her sore body was thrown against. _"I…I d-d-don't know anything!"_ She whimpered.

"Who are you?"

_"I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!"_ Chinatsu chanted, hoping to quickly be released from this nightmare_. "Please, I don't know anything!"_

When nothing was said, she tentatively opened her eyes and looked up. A shriek escaped from her lips when he sat on the edge of the table before her, his scarily scared face darkening in both impatience and frustration. "Tell me, who you are."With those threatening words, he pulled out a very, very sharp knife from the small leather container on the thighs of his pants.

_"Oh, god."_ Chinatsu gasped, leaning as back as she can from her entrapped self. Her wide, teary, brown eyes stared at the knife in horror._ "Look, I don't understand what you're saying. I don't know where I am or what's going on. You…you…" _Her words trailed off when the man fingered the end of the blade.

Ibiki looked just over a tad inch from the girl's right shoulder to the double-sided mirror that circled around him for the exception of the door behind him. The corner of his lip twitched, signaling the others on the opposite side if he should continue or not.

When nothing happened, he took that answer as a yes.

_"W-what are you…doing?"_ Chinatsu asked when the man leaned a bit too close to her face. She quivered, her whole body trembling as she turned her head away from his approaching face. Hot breathe wafted over her cheeks, chilling her skin to the point where her blood froze.

She closed her eyes, panting as she tried to convince herself that this was all a dream.

"Name. What is your name?"

Was…was he asking for her name? Chinatsu opened her eyes, not moving her head from uncomfortable position of staring off to the side. _"N…n-name?" _She whispered in Japanese, hoping that it was what he was asking for.

"Yes, what is your name?"Ibiki decided to give the girl some room after literally closing up near her face to a point where he saw very faint sun kissed freckles skittered over the bridge of her nose. Perhaps it was what she needed in order to answer his questions.

Chinatsu moved her hand as in to point at herself when she felt a tug on her wrist. She gazed down sadly at the bound ligaments, reminding her that she, herself, was a prisoner. _"Chinatsu, my name is Chinatsu."_

"Chinatsu?"

She nodded.

Ibiki stared into her eyes for a moment before thinning his lips. He gave a quick nod, moved away from the edge of the desk he was perched on, leaving the kunai on the table without a second thought to make a quick note on a piece of paper. He jotted down the small information that was given.

FEMALE. BROWN HAIR, BROWN EYES. APPROXIMATE AGE 18.

NAME: CHINATSU (POSSIBLY 'KU-ROH-EE' AS HATAKE KAKASHI INFORMED)

POSSIBLE CONNECTION TO UCHIHA MADARA

He placed the pen down, moving to sit on his chair. Ibiki was mighty tempted to sigh heavily and rake a hand down his scalp to scratch at. His job was not getting any easier. In fact, it was getting harder and harder to literally pull the teeth of every traitor just for a tiny bit of information. And to deal with a woman who spoke of an alien language was going to be the death of him.

The sound of paper tearing caught Chinatsu's attention. She watched as he ripped a different piece of paper from the one he had written on and slid it across the stained table.

The stains looked suspiciously like dried and old blood.

"Please write down your name along with the names of your companions, spies and partners in your mission to assassinate Hatake Kakashi. Also, include the main location of Uchiha Madara and the status of his whereabouts, hidden homes, etc."

Chinatsu stared at him blankly. She didn't understand a word he just said.

When he slid the pen towards her, her eyebrows arched in concern._ "Um, you…you must know by now that I don't understand anything." _She looked up at him only to see his intense, dark eyes demanding she do something with that wretched pen.

A strangled groan squeezed from her throat_. "Fine, but if you don't understand it, that isn't my problem."_ When she attempted to write, she felt a tug at her wrist once more.

Heat hummed at the metal shackles and soon enough one of them unclasped from her.

Chinatsu lifted her hand quickly and stared at the instrument with wonder. She narrowed her eyes. She pondered about how advance technology was despite the obvious physical degradation she gave it at first. The man must have some button underneath his chair in order to unlock the manacles. There was just no other explanation.

Giving it no other thought, Chinatsu cleared her throat and slowly reached for the pen. Before she touched it, her eyes flickered to the dangerous man. She trembled for a moment before grasping the bit of only courage she had within her to close her hand around the pen.

The shackle lay open as if threatening to jump at her face. It was eerie at how power seemed to release from it.

_"O-okay, Chinatsu, just…write,"_ she whispered beneath her breath. Chinatsu leaned over the piece of paper slowly, as if to prevent any fast movement that might cause her harm from the man.

**I don't understand what you're saying. **

She wrote those few words, pausing for a moment before continuing.

**I don't know where I am.**

As she wrote, the scarred-faced man seemed to lean forward with interest. Hoping that it was interest and not an intent to kill, she pinched her lips tight and continued to write.

**My name is Chinatsu and I am lost. I'm from the state of California in the United States of America. I want to go home-**

A slam to the desk made the pen skid across the paper, leaving a dark line drawn across it. Chinatsu's eyes bulged at the sight of the man yelling at her in a foreign language, snatching the paper from under her eyes to stab at it with a meaty finger.

He was obviously unhappy from the way the vein at his forehead pulsed to the same tempo of her heart.

"What the hell is this? I asked for names! Not gibberish!"Ibiki screamed.

Chinatsu gripped the pen with a deadlock, bringing it to her chest as she attempted to curl away from him. A cry escaped her lips as he wrenched that pen away from her and threw it across the room. It embedded in the wall to the right.

"And don't think you can get away from this with suicide! You're a suspicious individual under the attention of our Hokage and we are deemed to act in our righteous ways to prevent war."Ibiki snarled. He was about to scream some more when suddenly the knife that he left at the edge of the table was in her hand and was waving around like a lunatic in his face.

He immediately disarmed her.

A simple slap to the hand and the kunai sped to the right, slicing the pen in half and implanting deeper than the pen's original piercing.

The woman gasped, pain twisting her face as she curled her arm to her chest in an attempt to comfort her; much like a wounded animal would. Ibiki allowed her no comfort as he grabbed her arm and chained it back down.

Instead of using his hard voice and stoic face to continue on with the cross-examining, Ibiki placed his hands on the arms of her chair (where her wrists were shackled to), leaned forward till his nose was three centimeters away from her face. He stared at her for a moment.

Those doe brown eyes of her engulfed him, screaming of innocence and unnecessary apologies for crimes she had been accused of and did not commit.

And it haunted him.

Ibiki hardened his face as he continued to study her. This woman looked nothing like an assassin nowadays. Kunoichis were hard, seductive and unforgiving. They ruled the fighting world with their soft bodies and sharp tongues. With their intelligence, it made a woman an even deadlier weapon.

But this so-called 'Chinatsu' had the eyes of a child.

From what she was wearing, he could immediately tell that she was not used to training ruthlessly to become the greatest nin. Her muscles were lax, undeveloped unlike the kunoichis here who were born to clash on the battlefield. The milky skin was clean, fresh (despite the sweat and dirt from today) and unscarred from anything that spoke of violence. Even her fingers didn't have callous from exercising with weapons!

She was even whimpering and crying! Those were the immediate disgraceful actions a strong woman could do. Crying could even permanently demote a nin from their station. But this woman was so free with her emotions, refusing to control them and allowing anyone and everyone to see how she actually felt and feared.

It made him doubt the information he was given.

Unfortunately, it wasn't his call to make. Ibiki was instructed to interrogate the enemy and that was his job.

He straightened from his crouched position over her and turned away.

As soon as he exited the room, he shut the door tightly so that the mistrustful woman wouldn't be able to hear anything he was about to report to the group who surveyed his questioning. "From what I can gather, Hokage-sama, the woman is completely harmless. She doesn't seem even have the ability to throw a weapon or kill someone. She's too much like a child." He paused, listening as the woman was now crying out a storm. "As you all can see, she's crying-"

"It could be an act." Kakashi said unemotionally from his leaned position on the wall farthest from the mirror. He pushed away from the wall, walking towards the group (who turned to face him) as he gestured to the two-way mirror of the now sobbing woman. "We've been trained to undermine anything that could possibly become harmful to the village. For all we know, she could be acting and holding off a lot more than we give her credit for. A crying child is the same thing as a ticking bomb."

Ibiki cast a doubtful glance to the mirror. "Look at her. She can't be a spy."

"And children can't be warriors." Kakashi replied. His tone was even and normal, as was his face, but anyone can tell he was being sardonic.

Before Ibiki could reply, a flash of orange caught his peripheral vision. He turned to see Naruto unconscious at the corner of the room. "…Ehh, Naruto?"

"Naruto-kun made an effort to break in as soon as she started crying." Yamato informed, frowning at the noisily sleeping boy.

It was eerie how desperate Naruto wanted to do everything and anything to protect the girl just because of a couple of tears. It came to a point where redness bled into his eyes and his fangs lengthened. His voice had even deepened a few octaves that can only be defined demonic. Yamato was forced to put away the boy before the fox demon could possibly come out wholly.

It was unnatural.

Naruto had been in this very same room before, and he had not acted as he had done so today.

"Why didn't you torture her?" Asuma asked.

Ibiki tilted his chin towards Tsunade. "I was asked not to. We don't know what exactly this woman is. She could be human, experiment or summon. Any little mistake and she could die. We need information of Madara's whereabouts before we can try anything."

Tsunade frowned, paying no attention to the men as she continued to stare at the woman who was now gasping for air from her bawling. This Chinatsu woman perhaps isn't an assassin, but she couldn't take any chances. Uchiha Madara was seen and it was all she needed to pry out anything she can from anything, any one. "Yamanaka Inoichi and Ino. Enter the room and forcibly extract any information you can from her mind. If you find any barriers or seals to any memory, you have my permission to break them down."

To forcibly break down a seal or any protection form of memory/information in the brain will destroy brain cells, and completely destroy the part of the brain they are scavenging through. It could render a strong man into a handicapped one in just approximately three minutes.

Inoichi nodded and immediately sought for the room. His daughter quietly followed behind her father and entered the room. She slowly closed the door. When the lock clicked, Ino turned around to face the woman.

Ibiki was right. She looked as fearful as a child.

"Ino, moved the table."Inoichi commanded as he started to center himself.

Without hesitation and a snap of a few words as she would habitually have done with her father, Ino moved the table dutifully, knowing that the situation was grave and the small detail that the Hokage stood behind the two-sided mirror.

Inoichi's hard face looked as if it were made of steel as he centered himself. Once he was concentrated and focused, his smoky blue-green eyes opened, pinning the unknown woman with a look that washed through her.

Chinatsu started breathing hard, licking her lips nervously as the blond man, who bestowed the same gray suited clothes with a long black overcoat as the previous scarred-face male, approached her. When his hand moved forth to be placed on her head, she jerked her head from side to side. It wasn't the fact that it could be as harmless as a fly. But the hardcore determination in his eyes made her fearful that his hand could just contract her head like a watermelon and squeeze it.

_"Stop!"_ Chinatsu leaned away from the looming hand. _"Don't touch me!"_

"Ino, hold her head still!"

Chinatsu screamed as she fought to wrench her head away from the younger girl's hands as they attempted to hold it still. _"Let me go! Let me go!"_ She fought against her restraints, feeling the bands bite her delicate wrists.

Nails bit into the softness of her scalp in an attempt to hold her still, but Chinatsu was relentless.

The teenage daughter cursed like a dirty lowlife, ignoring her father's stern and warning eyes as she tried to wrangle 'the slippery fish'. "Stay still and everything will be alright."Ino tried to comfort her in order to gain some stability. It held little success.

Suddenly, as if magic, the girl went still.

Her head lolled submissively into the grasp of the younger girl's. Her eyes were swollen and teary to a degree that it seemed impossible for her to see through. Chinatsu felt as if her face was on fire, molted with interminable tears. Exhaustion seeped into her bones like termites with wood; her will to fight died like an infectious virus against medicine.

But not even her tired, aching body seemed to relax her quick, fast-paced breathing.

It was as if she was a dying rabbit in a cave of carnivorous lions.

Inoichi placed his hand over the woman's head. Her heated skin did little to faze him.

He closed his eyes.

Ino chewed on her bottom lip, as her eyes were fixated on her father. She knew what he was doing.

_Mind Reading._

Despite an enemy placing a seal over a memory, or has even forgotten it, it is useless against her father. He had the ultimate power to go through each section of the person's life: smelling every scent, feeling each emotion, tasting any food, and knowing any information. It was a necessity for an interrogating officer to extract information. Her father was 'the best motherfucking interrogator in the district' as Ibiki had gracefully put it.

The time was taking too long, and as it prolonged Ino felt herself getting worried. Her father didn't normally take so long. It was a quick in and out. If he took too long…

Ino shook her head. She would let herself stray on such thoughts.

The furrowing of her father's brow deepened as the sweat on his temples profusely trickled down his cheeks.

"I…I can't read anything." Inoichi admitted with a tone mixed of morbid fascination and pure frustration. As if more pressure would help the situation, he tightened his fingers around her scalp, ignoring her soft cries of pain.

Ino felt her soul froze. Her father couldn't read it? It was impossible! Her father was known to go through anyone's mind without any tribulations.

She closed her eyes, a frown adorning her face as she tried to perform her well-known mind jutsu she had used on Sakura during the Chuunin exams.

Nothing happened.

"What?" Ino backed away from the girl in shock.

"This is no human." Inoichi exclaimed, taking a step back as he retracted his hand from the girl's head. "She cannot be human! She must be an experiment or summon."

Ino would've one-hundred percent agree with her father if it weren't for the expression of pure anguish only a person with emotions could conjure on the girl's face. Consumed by the need to prove herself right, she took out a hidden kunai strapped to her inner thigh.

"Ino, no!"

It was too late. The kunai flew from her lady-like fingers and swished for the girl.

Chinatsu gasped, righting her head up as something fast whizzed by her head. She looked up, fearful of the two blonds standing before her with expressions that couldn't be defined_. "What's-"_ A sharp stinging sensation stabbed her cheek as she attempted to talk.

Something was tickling her face.

It wasn't until droplets of blood fell down upon her naked thigh that she realized she was bleeding from the face.

Did they…what did they do?

The door to the little room she was in blasted open. Chinatsu's eyes widened when she saw a group of people barged inside.

"What did I say, Yamanaka?" A woman parted the group as if she were Moses himself. "I said she was not to be touched! Do you not understand?"

"Hokage-sama, she can't be a summon or experiment. She's human. She has to be human! She's bleeding for crying out loud-"

Chinatsu watched as a boy dragged the girl out of the room; roughly around the same age as the teenage blond. The pineapple-headed shaped boy not only caught her attention by his hair, but by the flak jacket that was only so similar to her ghost.

Speak of the devil…

'Ga-ga-ji' stood there, returning Chinatsu's gaze as she stared at him with relief and happiness at perhaps recognizing someone at this confusing situation. She opened her mouth to call out his name when her voice died out. Her look of relief was completely erased as if she had come to a realization.

His clothes exactly matched two other men's. The others in the room weren't dressed like people Chinatsu would see normally in the streets.

They were all dressed as if they came from the same place 'Ga-ga-ji' did.

And that meant Chinatsu wasn't anywhere near home.

Kakashi's eyes widened when he noticed Chinatsu breathing hard and fast. Her body slumped against the chair, head hanging backwards as if she were baring her neck in submission towards the Hokage and her subordinates. A wheezing sound echoed painfully in the room.

"She's having a panic attack." Tsunade informed as she rushed towards the girl's side. Her glowing hand rested over Chinatsu's head. "What the hell?" The glowing green chakra diminished until it came back stronger.

"What's going on?"

Inoichi answered the stupefied. "Jutsus don't have an effect on her."

Yamato frowned. "How do they not have an effect on her? Jutsus effect everything: people, places and things."

"Try and you'll find out. I couldn't even get through her head. Ino tried, too. If this was an experiment, then…this could possibly be one of Uchiha Madara's super soldiers: one that doesn't hurt by jutsus, only by man-made weapons. She's most likely a prototype. If she were an advanced experiment, she would've been able to escape the bonds and fought us. But she didn't."

Tsunade frowned menacingly at the thought. Before she could add onto it, the girl shuddered before she stopped breathing.

"Get her to a hospital immediately! Notify Shizune and Sakura that they are to immediately attend her. I want four ANBUS in her resting room, two outside the room door and seven around the perimeter of the hospital. I will not take a chance of her escaping." Tsunade ordered Asuma fiercely.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." He swiftly unlocked the restraints on her wrists and ankles, grabbed the girl and headed out.

Kakashi's body twitched as if he wanted to follow.

"I want the village on a lockdown, a curfew enforced, border patrols and surveillance on the streets throughout the rest of the next two weeks. We cannot be lenient on this matter, especially if it includes Madara."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"And for the love of god, someone get me some sake!"

Two hours later, the girl was stabilized.

Sakura panted, staggering back until the wall of the operation room supported her. She turned her sweat drenched faced to Shizune and released a hysterical chuckle. "We…w-we did it."

Shizune merely waved at the pink-haired girl, too tired to respond.

Because any form of chakra wouldn't help the girl's still form, Sakura and Shizune had to go through old, ancient ritual of medicine to perform.

It went from placing pressure against her chest to a mouth-to-mouth. They snapped at nurses to rush medicine and created syringes and other glass tubes in order to find out what was happening to the girl. When Asuma reported that Tsunade commented about a panic attack, Sakura and Shizune went into task to revive the girl's heart.

It took a while, but they succeeded.

Though there were some faltering in her breathing and heart rhythm, the prisoner of Konohagakure was safe and secure.

"Jeez, this girl is just riddled with injuries." Slash marks at her thighs were patched and bruises were soothed with healing balms. "Ino's going to be drowning in community service because she disobeyed Tsunade-sama." Sakura mentioned as she stared at the white guaze taped on the cheek.

Shizune didn't respond. Despite the fact that her body was sore, and that she was to the last point of exhaustion, she stood up. "Get her transferred to a room. Tsunade-sama ordered for four ANBUS inside the room and two at the door."

Sakura nodded before pushing herself off the wall. She walked towards the unconscious girl and placed a hand on girl's shoulder before teleporting.

Shizune gave a droll stare at the smoke, waiting for the apprentice to materialize once more. Sakura appeared in the room again with a groan. "I forgot, jutsus don't work on her. Why is this so damn difficult?" she whined.

"This is just the beginning,"the black-haired woman whispered to herself as she watched Sakura carefully maneuver the gurney through the operation doors.

A man, whose eye was bandaged, who was walking through hospital grounds to retrieve information from his soldier's last mission noticed a pink-haired girl releasing a string of obscenities as she strolled a sleeping foreign girl through the hallways.

The bones within his body shivered as the gurney rolled past him. And that didn't happen unless something abnormal was present.

Danzou watched as the nurse wheeled the patient in a room. No sooner had that happen, two ANBUS flanked the front of the door.

He watched the door for a while before turning and leaving the hospital all together, forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to visit Sai's room in the hospital for valuable information.

**I nearly died writing this chapter, lol! **It's been around 5-7 years since I've last written/read any Naruto fanfictions, including reading the manga xD The reason why this chapter was so difficult was because I had to get each character right.

**ITALICS = ENGLISH**

**REGULAR FONT = JAPANESE**

I feel like I messed up on Ino's character. I remember that she was rivaled with Sakura and they were "frenemies", haha. I only made her freakout because when a long time ninja/kunoichi who were so used to having their jutsus affect other people, it's completely unnatural for someone to be completely unchanged by it. So, I'm just assumed someone would respond to that like so xD

I also felt like the chapter dragged out more than necessary, but I felt that having the interrogation lengthened would give the Naruto characters some understanding of Chinatsu and her "abnormality".

Omg, I'm so happy that more people reviewed this time! You have no idea how happy and giddy I got :D Thank you so much for taking your time to review! You guys are awesome!

Thank you my reviewers ;D

**VergeeteNiet-je** EdelHZ _invisible-gurl_ **Bunni and Me** KitsuneNEh _Foresthunter_ **Seyensay** Aiko Tachibana

**OPRIME – **I'm glad you love the story so far! :D Haha, yeah, I just started out with the story, so it'll take a while till I get this all up and going (: Thank you! Happy New Years to you, too!

**Alexa – **Welcome new reader! Haha, this idea came to me out of the blue. It was originally one of my friend's ideas, but I tweaked with it and here it is (: I'm glad you're enjoying it, and hope to see you enjoy the future chapters.

**ks – **No problem! It's a joy for me to write and share, and just to have other people enjoy them, too, makes me more than ecstatic (:

**lizzy99 – **I promise here on out, this story is going to be interesting ;D

**a faithful reader – **I'm glad you enjoyed it! (: Here's the update!


	8. Examination

**Chapter 8: Examination**

"It has come to my attention that this woman-child is not normal." One member of the council presented, standing before the long table that held important figures of Konohagakure. "It's been five months since her capture and we have learned nothing from her."

Tsunade sat at the head of the table, dressed in her signature clothes with her elbows rested upon the surface and hands clasped together at the chin. Her golden-brown eyes narrowed at the councilman's approach to the matter, frowning as he continued to jibber jabber about the widely known facts of the woman who may have a tie to Uchiha Madara.

"Is she still being held in captivity?" One snide woman asked.

"It doesn't matter where she is being held," Tsunade answered, her eyes were closed as she wouldn't have to bear to look upon these people of ignorance. "We are here to discuss about the woman's existence."

"And possibility of further using her for Konohagakure."

"What?" Tsunade snapped. She turned her body to the two bodies that were at the main door's entrance to the assembly room. A scoff escaped from her mouth when she noticed who exactly was standing there. There was no reason for her to be surprised.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.

The two elders of Konohagakure walked into the room. As everyone rose in respect, the two strode to where Tsunade was seated. Immediately the seats besides her were evacuated for the two elders.

"We have discussed about the woman," the old woman started, sighing heavily as she sat her old weary bones into the cushioned seat. "After five long months of examination, we have determined her safe."

"But we don't know what she is!" A man piped.

Homura stroked his beard in thought. "We have figured out what she is. She is human. She is not a summon or experiment."

"But jutsus-!"

"A bewitched human," Homura interrupted smoothly as if the man didn't exist at all. "She is completely human. The only fact is that jutsus fail to affect her. Besides that small problem, she can get hurt. We've tested her with weapons and found out she does bleed, and that her blood is the one that determined if she was human or not." He turned to his long-time teammate to see her staring into the mahagony desk before her.

Koharu contemplated about the frightened young woman. Through years of battle and years of dedicating her life into protecting her homeland, Koharu steeled herself against the sad tears and pitiful cries. But as the medic-nin studied and checked the woman during her first week of captivity, Koharu couldn't help but feel a familiarity to her.

It was utmost peculiar.

And she wasn't the only one. After leaving the lowest and dirtiest cell of the jail cells, Homura was the first to approach her with the familiarity of the woman's aura. They had never met her before nor have heard of her. Despite that eerie fact, they continued to allow small experiments and studies on the woman for more information of her value and existence.

"She is merely a woman," Koharu started slowly. "But she can be transitioned into a fine kunoichi of strength if we train her, which will sadly require a bit of brainwashing, but nevertheless it is the good for Konohagakure. With her unique ability, we will be able to achieve anything beyond expectations of the other nations. It will also help us stabilize peace when others realize of our nuclear weapon."

The people present in the assembly room looked amongst each other uneasily. "But we don't know her. How can we trust a foreigner, much less a very unique woman?"

"And that's not just the case," Hyuuga Hiashi said. "She's extremely weak to become a kunoichi of Konohagakure if that were to come. That's not only the case, but this woman has no source of chakra."

"That's impossible," Shikaku exclaimed. "Everything has a source of chakra!"

"And if the other nations do learn of it, they'll be certain to attack out of fear. If we grow too strong, they'll start to worry!"

Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed heavily, concentrating on her thoughts and ignoring the blabbers of the woman. They were conversing about information she already had or already knew. This meeting was pointless. But to use this woman in the battlefield? It was foolish. Tsunade was not a heartless person. She saw the woman during Ibiki's interrogation.

The woman was completely void of violence, evil and strength.

Shizune, who had been one of the examinees, reported to Tsunade that Chinatsu was incredibly docile for a person in this sort of situation. It was much compared to an animal that had completely given up on fighting. She didn't speak, but she cried.

"We should test the girl. And if we're going to do it, I want to be the one to do it."

"No!" Tsunade slammed her hand on the desk, catching everyone's attention. "The woman will not be used for militant ideas." Her narrowed eyes went straight to the elders and slanted more than possible. "She may be perhaps harmless but that doesn't mean we can use her." The Hokage stood up from her chair, splaying her red-painted fingernails over the mahogany table and leaned forward so that each word was carried with seriousness. "We still don't know what happened five months ago. Everything is a mystery, and when there's a mystery, there's always an unanswered question. The woman will not be used for anything."

"Oh, and what is she going to be doing? Rot in her cell?" The man who had wanted to test the woman stood, revealing himself to the irate woman. "It would be useless if you let something that could form into Konohagakure's greatest weapon dwindle into the nothingness, Hokage-sama," Danzo said.

Shizune held Tonton tighter to her chest as she spoke out, "If we do use her as a weapon, if we manage to magically make her into a kunoichi, the other nations will take it as a threat. And a kunoichi is trained from a very small age. To have this woman who's probably eighteen years, give or take a few years, it'll be difficult and too tedious."

"Everything must be given hard work and concentration in order to work," Homura stated. "Hokage-sama, the woman is not your responsibility-"

"I am Godaime! As so, everything within this village is my responsibility, Homura-san," Tsunade yelled. The intensity of the room grew with the agitation of some of the council and anger from the furious Hokage.

Koharu frowned at Tsunade's open irritation to the idea of 'Project X'. She slipped a thin folder onto the table, which contained the girl's information, theories and future plans of using the unknown woman. "If we manage to manipulate and take control of the woman, she will not only be able to serve Konohagakure as interest, but the connection between her and Uchiha Madara can be taken within our control."

"Uchiha Madara?"

His name was like magic. Suddenly, the whole room was interested in the prospect of using the girl to destroy the Uchiha who had been causing them problems since the beginning of time.

"We can use the girl to reel in Uchiha Madara into our grasps." Homura straightened his back, clearing his throat as he noticed the group's wide attention. "Perhaps or perhaps not there is a romantic connection between the two. The girl is not only physically weak, but mentally. We can tap into her head and use her. And once we train her, we can make plans against Uchiha Madara using her."

"It won't work. It's too easy," Tsunade commented. "If there was a plausibility of using the girl against Madara, he would've killed her."

"But he didn't," Danzo walked slowly up the aisle of the long mahogany table, staring into Tsunade's eyes with firm determination. "And because of that, we now know of her value."

"And what happens if it doesn't work?"

Danzo stood there for a moment before closing his eyes. "Then we kill her."

"What-?"

"It is done. She will be trained starting in next." Koharu opened the thin folder and removed a white sheet of paper. "Danzo is accountable for this case."

As she wrote in it, Tsunade leaned over and grew furious with each word she read. "Danzo will not be taking over!"

"We have already discussed it-"

"Without my approval?" Tsunade shouted.

"—and have come to a unanimous decision that the woman would be trained, Tsunade-hime." Koharu turned to Tsunade with strong-willed eyes. "This is the good for Konohagakure."

Before Tsunade could reply with fires burning in her eyes, Shizune piped up, "But if Chinatsu-san not Tsunade's responsibility than it is neither yours! Chinatsu-san appeared in Hatake Kakashi's home. If anything, it is his decision to make the decision."

Homura scanned around the room with a rather bored expression. "Because Hatake Kakashi is not present, as usual, the discussion is over and the decision is final."

As if a judge's hammer had slammed into the desk, the whole room rose at the elders exit before dispersing themselves.

Danzo stood against the wall, allowing the other members of the council to pass him until he was alone with the Hokage and her subordinate. He didn't need to look at her to know that she detested him. Danzo was quite aware of the woman's perspective of him, but he did nothing of it. With the elders' preference for militant ideas, he had their sway of approval easily and quickly.

His lone dark eye watched as the woman swerved around and left the room with angry poundings of her feet. With an expressionless face, Danzo calmly walked out of the assembly room and made way towards the jail cell.

There was absolutely no reason to prolong the start of the woman's training.

Why wait when he had some freetime?

With a cane in hand, he slowly made his way through the intricate building until he stood before the lowest floor. The two men who guarded the cells (which were only reserved for traitors, spies, assassins, etc.) glanced at him and asked him for his purpose.

Danzo slipped out a piece of paper and showed it to them. "Under the elders decision, I am to come and collect the woman."

The two ANBUS warily studied the small geometric design of the paper before one of them turned around opened the door. "If you will follow me," the man with the tiger mask said.

Danzo limped after the man, ignoring the yells and screams of the men and women from inside their cells. When they touched their bars, they were immediately repelled by electricity running through the metals from a jutsu that was only strong enough to knock them out, but not kill. The stench of the low-lit area was unbearable. As Danzo continued to follow the ANBU, he heard quiet whimpering and low-heard sobbing. "What is that?"

The ANBU didn't need to answer as they stopped before one particular cell.

The one-eyed man held himself completely still as he scrutinized the woman. If he hadn't trained himself to become expressionless and just as emotionless, a grimace would form on his face from the woman's insistent sobbing.

The jutsu of the bars were deactivated and the celled door slid open.

Chinatsu lifted her head from the soggy pillow. She immediately flew back against the corner of her bed, plastering herself against the wall as she cautiously watched the masked man enter the room. When he had extended his hand towards her, she made herself as small as possible and averted her face.

She heard a soft sigh before feeling the powerful presence shift away from her.

"She's very timid. There had been…some complications during her stay here," the masked man informed.

"What complications?"Danzo could name a few from just looking at her. She looked like she refused to eat anything. Her gaunt face and bird-like body structure (that was seen from her dirty orange suit) was pasty white from the lack of sunlight and fresh air. Eyes were sunken deep into her skull and her hair was wispy and thin. The woman wasn't even one hundred feet close to the word 'clean'. A few silvery scars and darkened areas of bruises from her arms and legs took quick notice.

She looked exactly like a prisoner of war.

There was no way in hell she was going to possibly be able to even train until a month and a half later.

But that was fine. As the creator and leader of ROOT, Danzo was more than equipped and experienced to make this work.

"Get up."

Chinatsu picked up her head and looked at the old man standing before her.

Being cooped up in a dark cell can drive anyone insane.

How many days has it been? How long is each day? With no clock and no connection to the outside world, Chinatsu had no idea of anything. If she could relate this to anything, it would be the Holocaust.

The sad foreign food they brought her wouldn't be digested and it wouldn't stay in her stomach for long, forcing her to reject the only source of some amount of nutrition her body would possibly have. The water was putrid and old. This was the perfect diet for those that wanted thin, unhealthy bodies. Chinatsu lost more than twenty-five pounds in her estimation from the lack of food and exercise. And the trained nurse in her told her it was not healthy.

Her first month here, she was beaten and screamed at.

Her second month here, she was studied and screamed at.

Her third month here, she was ignored.

Her fourth month here, she was ignored.

Her fifth month here, she was back to being studied.

After second month, they finally realized that she didn't understand what was being said or whatsoever. That's when they stop talking to her.

Chinatsu hadn't realized how precious words were. She had never taken notice how people need to talk, they need to listen and they need to speak. To be ripped away from their innate gift was maddening. It was pure torture. But in fear, she refused to talk. Chinatsu merely sobbed from day to day, hoping that this was all a dream. But it wasn't. Her imprisonment was much too long and torturous to be a dream.

The man who had gauze wrapped around his head and an arm in a hidden sling turned away from her, ripping her away from her inner thoughts from the smallest movement. "Have her transferred to the training fields near the east wing of the building."

When he had disappeared, Chinatsu blinked. Her muscles slowly relaxed from its tenseness until the masked man picked her up.

She didn't have time to do anything before she was held tight against the masked man's chest. They stood there for a second before the man decided to talk.

"I forgot. You cancel all jutsus."

He sighed and started walking, carrying here through the aisle of torment and anger. Chinatsu kept herself still, crossing her arms over her chest as to hopefully ward off anything that might come of harm. Perhaps there was another study? Did they need to take some blood?

Did they finally fucking notice that she wasn't doing well?

She sighed and rubbed a hand down her face. In this weird and very abnormal planet, their medicine was seriously lacking. When a short black-haired woman took her with a pig at her side, they had herbs. _Herbs. _

Did she travel back in time?

Or was she just in some parallel universe?

Brushing those thoughts to the side, Chinatsu closed her eyes and ignored the wandering eyes that saw her humiliation up front. The masked man did nothing but continue to walk. Soon enough, they were up the next floor and that made Chinatsu's breath catch.

Were they…were they going outside?

Her hand unconsciously tightened, nails digging into her bony arm as her body stiffened and eyes glitter with alertness. She didn't feel the man's hold on her hold down harder as she was too concentrated on the feeling of the sun warming her skin and the wind blowing past her face. It was too good to be true, it was too good to be true, it was too good-

They were outside.

Chinatsu closed her eyes and tilted her chin upward, feeling the glorious heat beating down upon her. The wind teasingly swept across her hair, picking up leaves and even making her hair whip around in the process.

She never felt something so beautiful in her life.

Carefully, she was placed on her feet. Chinatsu held onto the man's arm, furrowing her brows with concentration until she was sure she had her balance. Once she felt stable, she released the man.

The ANBU looked away from the weary creature by his side to analyze Danzo and his subordinate who stood merely a couple feet away from them. Judging from the pale boy's stance, the ANBU can only come to one conclusion. "Though you have the intention to test this girl's abilities, I would recommend you hold it off until she can full stand on her own. She won't be able to hold herself, even past twenty-five yards."

"Your words mean nothing to me. Leave us now,"Danzo ordered, never straying his eyes from the pitiful sight of the woman.

Chinatsu watched their exchange in interest. When the masked man turned around to face her, she stared boldly with interest. The mask was that of a tiger, painted simply but elegantly. It was the epitome of the graceful assassin.

When he (the gender she was assuming from his well defined biceps and wide shoulders) reached over for her hand, Chinatsu fought with instinct and didn't flinch.

His warm hand carefully turned her hand until the palm was facing upwards. He slowly slid an abnormal-looking piece of metal in her hand before moving her fingers to enclose around the object.

"Take care,"the ANBU merely said before disappearing from sight. He appeared at the very top of the Hokage building, watching down at the confused girl with steel eyes. Throughout the five months he was forced to guard the woman, he had unconsciously come to compare her to his weak, soft-spoken cousin. It was very annoying when he heard her crying day after day, but when it became continuous, the human side of him couldn't help but feel pity. Each cry was wrung out with pain and grief, as if she witnessed the very deaths of her loved ones. Perhaps she did.

Neji closed his eyes and sighed, forcibly removing his thoughts about the odd woman before disappearing from the rooftops.

Chinatsu opened her hand and held the metal in both palms. The pad of her thumb skimmed the shiny coating of the well-taken care weapon. The blunt end was formed into a circle, which was led from a straight, long piece that was wrapped in fabric, until it reached a triangular part: the deadly and rather pointy part.

She didn't know what the hell it was, but for whatever reason the masked man had handed it to her, she had a gut feeling it wasn't good.

Her brown eyes lifted and noticed that there was a strange pale boy standing near the elder man. Approximately around the age of Akane, he stood there patiently with no expression on his face. A black shirt that was cut off from the sleeves and quite noticeably from his lower ribs wrapped around his upper body. Matching black khaki-like short-pants fit around his hips.

He was…very pale…

"_Test her, Sai," _Danzo commanded.

…and very, very fast.

A cry escaped from her lips when an unknown forced slammed into her. Chinatsu flew back and hit the ground. The knife object whirled out of her hand.

_"W-what…the hell?"_ she croaked. Her voice was raspy from the lack of use, making it painful to even try to articulate a word.

The fallen girl wasn't given a chance before he struck again.

Chinatsu cried out as a hand made contact with her very weak and bony shoulder. She screamed and kicked out, hoping to fight off the pale boy, but it was useless. His hands were quick, hitting randomly at different points of her body as if he was an acupuncturist from hell.

Thinking merely on survival, her small hand grasped the sand beneath her and threw it at his face.

Sai was stunned for a moment and in that moment her foot caught his ribs. He flew back, but managed to quickly flip in the air so he landed on his feet. His dark eyes looked up, watching as the woman struggle to stand. Her wide-eyes made it a point that she was either frightened or shock.

"Use your jutsu."

Without questioning his superior, Sai slipped out a scroll and paintbrush. He whipped it opened and immediately started drawing.

A strangled gasp escaped from Chinatsu when she saw what seemed to be live animated animals lifting from the paper the boy was furiously scribbling upon. A part of her wanted to simply stand there and look on with morbid fascination, but if she did, she had a feeling she would be on the receiving end of pain. She staggered back when the beast-like animals grew larger in size. And when they turned to her, she ran.

She limped across the sand, glancing around wildly for safety as she ignored the muscles locking in her legs.

There was no exit. All that surrounded her was a large empty field that was parted from the outside world with walls. But a small hole caught her keen eyes. Immediately, she started running for it.

Chinatsu screamed when a wind brushed past her fiercely, making her fall to the ground. She picked her head up, spitting the sand that entered her mouth and saw the drawn animals whoosh past her. They started at her, but merely went through her body with nothing more than a powerful gust.

_"Come on, Chinatsu. Move!"_ She screamed at herself. Once she was off the floor, she ran for her life.

Her muscles screamed with the unfairness it was forced to deal with after it was deprived of movement, her heart fluttered like a cage bird, and her mouth was already feeling like cotton. But she didn't stop. She forced herself to move and because of that she was already through the small hole. If Chinatsu had been at her previous weight, she probably wouldn't've fit through the small hole.

"Make sure she doesn't escape!"A very angry man screamed.

Chinatsu looked left and right. There was nothing but roads and a swapmeet-like place.

But in front of her was a forest of some sort.

Without a bit of hesitation, she ran for the forest and just as quickly hid behind a tree. She clasped her hand over her mouth, forcing her heart to calm down and breath regularly so that she wouldn't get caught.

The sound of crunching rocks beneath a heavy weight was heard.

Chinatsu closed her eyes, praying that she might get away.

"I can't feel her chakra,"someone had said.

After a couple of moments, Chinatsu opened her eyes and peeked over her shoulder to see that the pale boy was now riding a humongous cartoon-like hawk towards the swapmeet place. Without a second's waste, she pushed herself off the tree and ran deeper into the forest place.

Her body was aching for rest. Her run developed a limp, slowing her down and tempting her to stop. But she didn't. Sweat clung to her face, beading at her temple and rolling down her face.

Chinatsu cried out when she ran straight into a small river. The coolness of the water beckoned her to stay, but she refused its invitation. She quickly stood up, struggling to get out of the water when she saw a couple of figures at her peripheral vision. When she turned her head, she saw three small figures at the distance, stopping their water activity to stare straight at her. Their dog started growling at her.

The thought of running towards them for help was instantaneously squashed. She didn't know their language. And she probably wasn't in the best of situations for their odd town/city.

Before she could start moving, a piercing cry rang the air.

Her brown eyes looked up at the sky and saw the bird nosediving straight for her.

_"No!"_ She cried out. Chinatsu got out of the river and ran for her life. Instinct screamed at her and she threw her body to the left, barely dodging the bird's attack.

The bird continued flying forth before it disappeared in a puff of smoke. The pale boy jumped off the bird and landed stealthily on the ground. When he rose up, his dark eyes were pinned on her and that made her heart stop.

Chinatsu continued to run to the left, the knife held in a death grip. She wasn't able to go for a few feet before she was tackled. Her head hit the ground painfully, jarring her vision for a second or two. When she scrabbled to stand, a body weight pressed against her back, and a hand pinned her to the floor by the neck.

She couldn't do anything but breathe loudly.

"You must've lived in a city with no violence whatsoever," the pale boy said in a monotone voice. "You're not used to blood, fighting. Not even war, huh?"

_"P…please…"_ Chinatsu started, trembling in fear.

"Hey, you!"

The weight above her was miraculously lifted off of her viciously. Chinatsu didn't lift her head from the ground, but she caught a flash of orange and yellow before weariness set in her bones. Something landed right in front of her, blocking the view of the blond boy that had carried her months ago pummeling the pale boy.

Brown eyes gazed up at the figure before her. But she couldn't get a good look at the person because the sun was hitting directly at her eyes.

"Chinatsu,"

The voice. She knew that voice!

Placing her hands on the ground, she pushed herself up. A strangled whimper exited her mouth when her bruised and battered body protested against the movement. But she didn't care. She had to look at him!

_"Ga…ga-ga-ji?"_ She stuttered, feeling tears welling up in her eyes.

The familiar masked face and sun-rising, smiling eye cracked the dam.

As dirty, filthy and as gross as she was, Chinatsu threw herself at him. She sobbed, holding her arms around him tight as if fearing that at the slightest lax muscle, he'll disappear. He can't disappear! This was the only person, the only thing she knew of this world. Other than that, she was a complete foreigner; a foreigner that didn't belong here; a foreigner that was taken as a threat.

Kakashi felt the woman shivering violently, sobbing heartbreakingly into his chest. He placed a hand at her head and started petting her. Not hugging her, petting her. "Good girl, good girl, you did well."She didn't look up at him, but kept burrowing her head into his chest.

His lone eye moved from the woman to the pale boy that was pinned down by Naruto.

It slightly narrowed.

**The characters might be off and if they are feel free to tell me and correct me (: **

**ITAICS = ENGLISH**

**REGULAR FONT = JAPANESE**

Again, it's been a long, long time since I have last read anything of Naruto, but I'm slowly catching up with the series! :DD I had trouble with Homura and Koharu's character, but I vaguely remember them being very difficult, looool! Also, I remember Sai being very emotionally cripple. That and he called Naruto's peewee small xDDD

I don't know much about the council of Konohagakure, so I just created it with each clan leader, the Hokage and the elders, with the exception of a few people.

Quick summary: Chinatsu's been jailed for five months and her physical appearance shows it. They want to use her to gain power over the other nations. Like a secret weapon C: Danzo didn't want to wait to test it. Too eager. So he went straight on and had Sai battle it out, lawl. She ran away and managed to get away because she does not have chakra.

Chinatsu is very odd in this world :DD

Thank you my reviewers! I love you dearly! ;D

**wildchild911** warning746 _KitsuneNEh_ **GlidingOne** Bunni and Me _invisible-gurl_

**Alexa – **I knoooow, I even felt bad for her when I wrote the chapter out D: But, oh wells, it'll work out in the end ;D

**Lizzy99 – **I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! :DD I like writing twists and turns so everyone'll be on the edge of their seats with anticipation, huahaha! Hopefully! xD


	9. Exchange

**Chapter 9: Exchange**

"Glaring at me won't get you any answers, Hatake,"Tsunade said, stamping the infinite amount of papers on her desk with a speed that told her audience how bad she wanted her sake.

Kakashi's face was expressionless despite how much the black mask covered it. His stance was casual, carefree as it leaned against the wall left to the Hokage's desk. But it was his eyes that were hard, eyes that were angry and infuriated at the evidence of Chinatsu's neglect. When the copy-nin had taken notice of her five-month disappearance and his unanswered questions, he reluctantly obeyed the Hokage's order regardless of how much he knew how much of a mistake it would be. He knew what was going to happen to her, as a foreigner and as an alien object in this world, but he refused to give it any thought.

And seeing her today slapped him in the face.

A part of him was particularly guilty at the sight of her. Kakashi had known that she was a simple woman, a defenseless woman, and a clueless woman. And when she had miraculously entered his world, she, a fragile bird, was only to be caged.

She had been more…human, for a word, when they were at their own respected worlds. Now, she was almost dead-like.

"I want her removed from her jail holdings," Kakashi stated.

Tsunade snorted at his words. "You should've been to the meeting earlier, like how I reminded you the day before." Her honey eyes glanced up at him from her lashes with a sarcastic smirk on her face. "Your responsibility is cut off and has been transferred to Danzo." The way she had said his name was full of disgust.

Kakashi only sighed and tilted his head back. His hair skimmed against the white walls of the room. "It's a shame that he hadn't listened to the elders and took his own demands."

The stamp that had been noisily slamming against the desk paused in midair. The Godaime blinked a couple of times before giving her full attention to the copy-nin. "What did you say?"

"Danzo released Chinatsu from her cell a week earlier than the date given. Therefore, as rules are rules, his control and ownership of this case has diminished." Because Danzo had made his own choices without regarding to the elders firsthand, he had deliberately gone against their iron words.

He had eliminated himself from Chinatsu's case despite his vast knowledge of the working system.

Tsunade hummed, mirth glittering in her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. Her hand came up to her face, lips pressing up against her knuckle as she stared at the entrance before her. The contentment and satisfaction of Danzo thrown out of the picture made the Hokage immensely happy. "I cannot give her to you," she stated.

"Hokage-sama-"

"The girl still has connections with Uchiha Madara. You, Hatake Kakashi, are one of my best soldiers and I will not irresponsibly hand you the girl when your life could be at stake." Tsunade sat up straighter in her chair. "Not only that, but your name had been removed when your lack of appearance at the meeting earlier was met."

"About that, I was crossing the street when-"

"Save it, Hatake."

The copy-nin sighed. It was sad, but it was true. Kakashi silently leaned against the chair as Tsunade molded over the situation.

This was going to be hard. Not only did Tsunade had to get an approval from the council about Chinatsu's homeage, but she also had to find a person to watch the woman at all times. And it had to be someone she could trust, most likely one of her close ANBUs. Her honey eyes brightened when a face popped up in her mind. Before she could declare it, Kakashi decided to speak.

"Yamato. We can have Yamato be her temporary guardian until we find someone fit."

A smirk pulled at her lips. Tsunade turned her chair slightly to stare out at the large window adjacent to her desk.

It'd work perfectly. Yamato had already taken up the position of Hatake Kakashi as teacher/captian for Team Seven, and he had done it as great as can be. He wouldn't have a problem with this next "mission" she was about to assign him. Sakura would handle the feminine problems of the woman when Yamato couldn't help. It weaved in perfectly. Not to mention, it kept Danzo and his corrupted followers from this case.

"Shizune!" Tsunade screamed out of nowhere.

A petite woman burst into the room, giving a soft but quick greeting to Kakashi before making her way to the Hokage. "Hai, Tsunade-sama?"

Kakashi watched with one eye as a pink pig followed Shizune and arched a brow.

"Deliver this to the elders at once and tell them that this is the final decision the Hokage is making," Tsunade reached into a drawer and pulled it open to reveal a manilla folder. She quickly grabbed a blank sheet of paper before madly scribbling down notes and information on it before slamming the stamp on it for good measure. "Take it to them now." She slid the paper in the folder and held it out to Shizune.

"Hai!" Shizune grabbed the folder before disappearing in a gray of smoke.

Tsunade smiled, closing her eyes as the weight on her shoulder lifted.

She had finally gained control of this rather odd situation, but nonetheless it gave her comfort that she would be able to manage the state of affairs regarding the peculiar woman.

"Find Yamato and tell him that his presence is required in the Hokage's office," Tsunade ordered, standing up and walking past Kakashi. She had her hand on the door handle and paused. "Don't bother staying," she said over her shoulder.

When nothing was said, she exited the main room of the building and started her way towards the lowest level.

Tsunade had no idea of Kakashi and the woman's relationship, but she knew that if the woman saw him, she'd immediately attach herself to Kakashi, as what Tsunade had seen when Kakashi brought her back to the prison room. Tsunade wanted to have her evaluated by Yamato first. She wanted to know what this alien woman did on her own, in her freedom, without having anything familiar around. The Hokage also wanted to know if the woman held anything from the keen eyes of Konoha ANBU's during the five months of imprisonment.

And because Yamato had the same DNA as the first Hokage of Konohagakure, he had made his own home out of his wood technique. With chakra embedded in the wood, Yamato would have surveillance of the woman 24/7.

The woman would be unable to hide anything from Yamato's chakra, mind, and eyes.

"What is the meaning of this?" A man yelled.

A tingle ran up her spine and immediately she knew that her personal ANBUs flanked at her side. When nearing an area with enemies, they were required to make their presences physically appear in order to prevent the traitors, whom were barred, from attacking their Hokage. Including those they knew where on the Hokage's 'suspicious' list.

"Danzo," Tsunade turned, clasping her hands at her back as she greeted the irate man.

"What is this?" He seethed, waving around the manilla folder Shizune had delivered to the elders like a bat-crazy man.

Tsunade kept her face blank as she spoke. "You broke the rules of the elders, Danzo. Therefore, you have no right or say in this case no longer. You have been taken off and replaced. I have already assigned someone else. You are needed no longer."

Danzo's nostrils flared with anger. His loyal subordinate stood behind him a few feet, listening to him breath harshly. "You…you…"

"You brought this upon yourself, Danzo. Instead of listening, which I'm certainly surprised with, you took this case in your own direction and even brought harm to the subject. Because of this you have been disqualified." Tsunade said without a degree of pity. With nothing more to say, she turned away from Danzo and walked away from him.

As much as Tsunade wanted to jump up and down with joy as her nerves were literally going apeshit, she took a calm demeanor and walked down the staircase to the lowest level of the building.

The two ANBUs who were guarding the level immediately bowed to her before opening the door.

Tsunade walked past, ignoring the jeers and the taunts from the inmates. The low-lighted level did not bother the legendary sannin. However, the awful stank of it did. Tsunade merely kept her face stone still and breathed, ignoring the stench of urine, feces, and body odor. She followed the ANBU ahead of her, knowing she did not have to speak in order for the ANBU to know whom she is here for.

"Go to the inventory and retrieve the original clothes she had arrived with," she ordered one of her ANBUs. Immediately, he disappeared.

The ANBU who guarded this level stopped before a particular one. As his hand flashed to stop the current of the electricity running through the mental bars, a terrified shriek was heard from the inside.

Chinatsu who had been napping was jarred awake by instinct. She quickly lifted herself from the pathetic excuse of a bed and looked to see the same ANBU who had taken her out a week ago there. She screamed helplessly, eyes darting around for a moment of sanctuary. Before they had entered the jail cell, Chinatsu grabbed the one-second opportunity to dive underneath the bed.

She squished herself against the perspiring wall, ignoring the cobwebs collected underneath the bed as she only thought of her safety.

When the man spoke in that deep, dangerous voice of his, she flinched and made herself into a smaller ball in her fetal position.

"She has been timid and fearful since the last time she had been brought out due to Danzo's command," the ANBU informed the Hokage.

"Had she been like this her whole imprisonment?" Tsunade asked.

The ANBU stared at the slim foot sticking out from underneath the bed before it was pulled under quickly. "She had resisted in the beginning, for a short while that is. After half of the first month, she became submissive and passive. After the second month, she became as timid as a mouse."

"And now?"

"Now she's just scared of everything," Neji hardened his mind and heart against the fearful woman, knowing that if he allowed himself to get close, he would be close to becoming a traitor just by the thought of bringing Naruto into the case.

It was hard, especially with his change of heart since his life as a teenager.

"Here are the clothes, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade turned and stared at the clothes the ANBU held out. Without much ado, she grabbed it carefully, scrutinizing it with sharp eyes. It was odd clothes. Clothes that didn't feel right or look right. But nevertheless it came with the woman.

The blond pigtailed woman entered the cell, holding out a hand to prevent her personal ANBUs from entering. "Chinatsu," she called out.

Chinatsu's eyes opened but she did not move. She knew her name had flowed out of a woman's lips despite its heavily Japanese accent. Her mother had called her with that name instead of 'Chloe' as Chinatsu had originally wanted. And it sounded exactly like that: heavy and thick.

"Chinatsu, come here, you're coming out."

The woman continued to speak to Chinatsu as if she understood what she was talking about. This language barrier irritated Chinatsu. She heard everyone speaking in Japanese, and what can she speak? English. A language no one has heard of here.

Chinatsu tilted her head to look at who was speaking at her when she froze.

Her eyes were glued onto her sleeping shorts and tank top, eyes growing wider with a small slimmer of hope within her. _"My…my clothes…" _she whispered heartbrokenly. As ridiculous as it may seem, Chinatsu was completely thrown out of the window just by the sight of something she recognized. This was different from Kakashi. Because this was originally from her world; it was where she had come from.

The woman slowly crept out from underneath the bed, her eyes locked with the neatly folded clothes. Though she had emerged, she had stayed kneeling on the floor, looking at the fabric as if she had no right to stand.

Tsunade extended her hand to the woman in orange. "Come on, Chinatsu, let's go. You don't have to be here no longer."

Chinatsu literally choked on her spit.

She recognized that word! Let's go…to go?

"_Am I going home?" _Chinatsu whispered, standing up slowly.

"Come on," Tsunade merely coaxed, slowly stepping out of the cell as one would with a stray dog and the pest control.

But Chinatsu didn't move any farther. She frowned as her brows came together in a concern look. She crossed her arms over her chest, and almost whined as confusion strangled her hopes. Her nails dug into the soft flesh of her arms as she stared at the woman and the four masked men besides her.

For a moment, Chinatsu felt like a wild animal to be coaxed into a trap.

"_Where are we going?"_ She asked, hunching over.

"Come on, let's go." Tsunade motioned.

Deciding to ignore the instinct, the warning bells in her head, Chinatsu left the comfort of her cell and followed the woman slowly. She turned and stared at her jailer for a quite before turning around and pursuing the blond woman. Chinatsu decided that this woman had to be of importance. The masked men besides her, though turned away and seemed relaxed, were watching her every move, assessing her movement for threats.

It made her feel nervous.

Ignoring it, Chinatsu continued to walk behind the woman who was now leading her to a particular area. A small whimper escaped from her throat as fear and nervousness swirled at the pit of her gut.

Soon enough, they entered a room with a single man in there.

Immediately, the masked men disappeared.

"Yamato," Tsunade greeted before walking straight to her desk. She knew the small, younger woman was following her to the neck, but felt nothing of it. It had already been deemed safe as soon as Tsunade realized that this woman was no threat. She allowed the young woman to stand beside her before handing her her clothes.

It was quickly taken from her hands and pressed against the woman's face.

"This is Chinatsu. I'm sure your remember her from the interrogation room with Ibiki."

Yamato ignored the awful stench of the woman and observed her. From the moment she had entered the room, he had a feeling he had recognized her, but couldn't quite place his finger on it. All he could really say was that she had gone through the transition of what a spy, assassin or traitor would go through.

Gone were her chubby cheeks, replaced with a gaunt, haunting look. Her small body had been fleshed out from the comfort of her home and was now thin, scrawny. The healthy, shiny hair he had seen from the interrogation room had transformed into a stringy, matty hair of a mutt. She also had a terrible stink of the Inuzuka's doghouse. Not even the doghouse would smell something like this! It was a smell that shouldn't and couldn't be defined. Everything screamed malnutrition and negligence. She had gone from what looked like a citizen to a prisoner of war.

"Originally, she had Danzo as her quote unquote caretaker. He was to be in charge of the case until he had decided to take her out a bit earlier than assigned. Therefore, I have made some arrangements for her new and temporary guardian."

A feeling of dread filled Yamato.

"Hokage-sama-" he started.

"Yes, Yamato, it is you."

It was quiet for a moment. The only sounds that were heard were Yamato's ragged breath and Chinatsu's teary sniffles.

"I don't know the first thing of how to take care of her," he said, his rather large eyes becoming larger with the thought of a woman under his roof.

"She's not an animal, Yamato. She's like a child. You've taken care of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura when the time called for it. It's just like that."

"But she's a woman! They're just children, teenagers!"

"You have Sakura to help you."

"But-!"

Though this was a bit amusing to the Hokage, she was now getting irritated. She had a very old bottle of wine imported from the Western seas that she wanted to taste in order to rid of her responsibilities and burden. A vein popped from her forehead as Yamato continued to try and convince her towards a different path. As if any man could do that with a woman's train of thought.

"No 'buts', Yamato. You have been officially signed as Chinatsu's temporary guardian until we know what to do with her." The Hokage opened a drawer and retrieved a folder with his name on the tab. "You'll be paid for this the same as an ANBU is paid for an S-Rank mission. There will be check-ups with the woman from time to time by someone who is appointed by the elders. There are no strict rules other than what you might want to follow of your intuitions, especially with her. Other than that, you're free to take her. Now get the hell out of my office before I kick your ass."

Knowing that the Hokage was quite serious about her threat, Yamato turned to the woman helplessly. He knew that jutsus don't work well with her, so poofing out of here was unacceptable.

He glanced at the Hokage to see her already opening a bottle of alcohol and chugging it like a man. Yamato sighed.

"Come on, let's go."

Chinatsu lifted her face from her pajamas and looked at the man who spoke. She had heard him speak but held no interest to it until it felt like he was addressing her. When she looked at him, she was right. Chinatsu's brows came together in concern and she looked at the woman on the chair. _"Aren't I going home?" _she asked softly.

The blond woman merely waved her hand in the direction of the man.

Chinatsu turned to look at him and clutched her pajamas closer to her chest. He was wearing the same uniform as Kakashi, but the blue turtleneck thing went to the man's chin unlike Kakashi's who went over his nose. And there was a rather awkward headgear that bordered around the man's face. His huge, almond-like eyes were honestly really creepy and scary, but his choppy brown hair managed to balance the normality; but what was normal nowadays?

He was now motioning his hands, waving it towards him as if he wanted her to follow him.

"_Will…I go home if—if, I go with him?" _

The woman didn't answer. And when she didn't, Chinatsu hopes died.

She held her pajamas harder to herself in an attempt to disappear from the world. _"I'm not going home, am I?"_

"Hokage-sama…"

"Yamato, you're an orphan, yes? I'm sure you know how she feels right now." Tsunade sipped at the bottle of wine, nodding in approval of the taste.

Yamato turned to the woman and stood there for a while. As an orphan who had been experimented upon by Orochimaru himself, Yamato knew what it was like to be imprisoned in a cage of fear. And being the only survivor of the experiments, he was often going through an identity crisis until he had managed to gain control of himself and the mixed DNA.

More likely, the woman would be meek. It wouldn't be a problem to get her to his home, he supposed.

He said nothing as he slowly approached her with is hand fully extended, asking for her to give him a small amount of trust.

Chinatsu stared at his hand. It was then she knew that she was not going home. Tears prickled at her eyes and she quickly ducked it into the softness of her smilings-starry shorts and green tank top. She sniffled, lifting her tearing eyes to the man.

Instead of placing her hand into his as he was asking for, she walked around him and stood at his back in obedience. She didn't want to touch anybody; she didn't want to talk to anyone. She wanted to wallow in the sadness pooling in her heart.

She has given up, because she had finally come to the realization that she was never going home.

Yamato lowered his hand. "Hokage-sama," he bowed before leaving the main room. The man didn't have to turn to know that the woman was following him. He could hear the scuffles of her feet on the carpeted floor.

He also didn't need to look at her to know that she was crying. The sniffles and whimpers of defeat all but deafened him.

Chinatsu obediently followed the man, no longer wishing for punishment or consequences to fall upon her head for her defiance. The first couple of weeks here, she had a taste of pain when she refused to cooperate with their small experiments of extracting the blood, examining her naked body, and scribbling notes of her supposedly odd language and writing system. It was painful and it was torment, but she quickly followed as a dog would who would want to avoid penalty.

The crisp air was breathtaking.

As soon as the two had exited the suffocating building, the warmth of the sun made her skin tingle. As she had done a week ago, Chinatsu tilted her head to the sky and inhaled deeply.

Never was she going to take another day for granted out in the open. Never was she going to belittle the wind, sun, space or vitality of Mother Earth.

"Come," the man said.

Quietly, she followed him, internally squealing at not only the thought of, but also the experience of being outside of her compacted jail cell. For once, in the duration of six months here, she felt free.

Chinatsu followed the man closely, eyeing the civilians of the village with quick, curious eyes as she trudged behind him. She silently thanked the man for walking slow. Because she was imprisoned and deprived of movements, her muscles disappeared and her joints became stiff, making it impossible to move as fast as she had been.

Being ignorant of the Japanese culture and language, Chinatsu was oblivious to the hushed whispers and rather loud remarks about her orange clothes. She curiously yet respectively glanced around at the food venders and clothing/item shacks.

Had she gone back in time?

It was a thought that ran in her mind numerous times. But it was challenged with the abnormal sense of magic and spells that played about, not to mention the random sources of technology and the typical clothing wear that were too bold and trendy to be of old tradition.

She had no idea where she was. All she knew was that she was here, and probably stuck here for life.

It was an unpleasant thought to dwell upon and Chinatsu did her best to ignore it and try to play through this grotesque phenomenon by the second. But each day was becoming harder and harder for her to maintain her stability to just be 'normal'. She merely hoped that the day where she would explode and become insane would stay away for a bit longer till she was readily to accept her lunacy.

Small children ran past her, bumping into her slightly that made Chinatsu break away from her train of thought.

She stared at them blankly as they laughed merrily, jumping up on the roof of food shops and running up the exterior structure of tall buildings like spider monkeys.

Yeah, she was definitely Dorothy at the moment.

Chinatsu turned to look at the man who had stopped for her and walked towards him. His kind eyes turned upwards in a smile as he gestured to the food a neatly pudgy woman was selling.

Her face and stomach immediately twisted in disgust and she shook her head rapidly from side to side. _"No, I don't like that…" _

Yamato frowned when the dirty woman shook her head. He glanced at her scrawny body and again insisted the woman to eat some delicious fish cake and crab cake stabbed on a stick like a kabob. But the expression on her face told him that she was never going to allow that down her throat.

He sighed and wordlessly prayed that she would consume something sooner or later to put some meat on those bones. As a warrior, a shinobi, he knew how much food was important for the body in order to be given strength.

"Let's go," he said softly. As he walked, he noticed the woman's fear overpowered by curiosity. Chinatsu, as Tsunade mentioned she was named, was constantly turning her head around to study her surroundings.

A part of him was uncomfortable because he knew he had to be prepared if she was a spy. The other part of him compared her to a child, a child in a new environment that couldn't help but continuously touch new objects.

If he were a woman, he would find this trait adoring.

The quiet words transferred from one person to the other didn't escape his keen ears. Yamato cursed himself for not thinking of buying the woman clothes before strolling through the village to his home. And he was a member of ANBU, pshhh. He was going to have Sakura come over and help the woman with that once everything was settled down.

For once, Yamato never felt so relieved than now when he had finally reached his homemade house. Because he had the DNA of the first Hokage, he managed to manipulate the wood technique as a child until he was able to fully control it. Because of that, he was able to create his own home, which was fully designed by him and only him.

Proud of his little adobe, Yamato held the door open.

Chinatsu frowned before stepping into the house slowly. She looked around, picking up the rather OCD nature of this man. The house was too clean for a man.

The living room had been a neat color of yellow and white. There was a beige leather couch sitting in the middle, positioned in the shape of an L so that the beautiful structured coffee table was laid before it. A white-tiled kitchen was off to the far right, down the hallway to be exact. And there was another hallway to the left that probably led off to more rooms.

The only thing that bothered Chinatsu was the lack of pictures.

Sure, this was a lovely home, but without pictures, it seemed as if there was no life here.

The man smiled gently at Chinatsu before motioning to the left side of the hallway. He led her to a strange room before turning to her.

"This is the bathroom," he said slowly. "Bathroom."

Chinatsu recognized him when he had repeated this area a couple of times. _"Um…_b-bath…roombath?"

"Bathroom."

"_Are you saying this is the bathroom?"_

"Bathroom."

"_Is it bathroom or restroom?"_

"Bathroom."

"…Bah-thhh…ruh…roooom," Chinatsu attempted after the sixth time he repeated the word. She blinked when a grin tugged at his lips. When he turned away to the small closet opposite of the bathroom, he opened the door and took out a fluffy blue towel that smelt divine.

"Here, shower, bath, do whatever you females do." A small blush played on Yamato's face before he spun and walked away from the woman, muttering about how complicated it will be to live with a woman.

Chinatsu stood there dumbfounded as she held the towel in her hand. Quietly, she closed the door. Leaning against the door, she slid down on it until she was sitting on the floor with her pajamas and towel pressed up against her chest. The relief of being away from the nightmare of six months was catching up to her to a point where she believed this was all a dream.

The softness of the towel hit her face until she was literally trying to push her face through it. She sobbed, clenching the blue fabric hard so that her knuckles were turning white.

An image of her mother crossed her mind.

_Chinatsu, you strong girl. Fight, fight, fight, good, yes?_

The heavily accented words made the girl laugh. Yes, her mother was right. She was strong. She would live past this and get back home.

Determination flowed through her.

Enough with the pity and the sadness! Chinatsu was going to live each day and day to try and get back home. And if she can't…she wouldn't settle on that yet.

The pristine white tub was filled with dirty water. Chinatsu frowned at the muddled reflection of herself. Damn, she had gone through a lot. She hadn't noticed how much of a difference she was since Day One until she had seen her reflection. Her clean, pale hands dipped into the water and scrubbed at her face. Her California tan was gone, too!

Draining the water, Chinatsu filled it again with warm water and attacked herself with the bottles arranged inside of the tub in hopes that it was shampoo and conditioner. She didn't mind that it smelt spicy, as it was for men. She had only wanted to get the smell of jail away from her.

So, she drained the tub, filled the tub, and cleaned herself, again, and again, and again.

Until, she was satisfied.

When Chinatsu was done, which took precisely over two hours, she stepped out of the tub and wrapped the fluffy towel around herself. She furiously rubbed the fabric over her body until her skin turned read, resolved on removing the dirt from her skin.

"_Even my boobs are smaller!" _she exclaimed when she noticed her ribs showing and thighs were abnormally thinner.

To another it would make them extremely happy, to Chinatsu, it made her upset.

Grumbling, she sighed helplessly. Knowing that she had to go commando underneath her clothing, she put on her starry smiling pajama shorts and olive green tank top (after noticing that they had been neatly washed discreetly), and walked out of the restroom with her arms crossed over her chest lest she wanted her twins to be bouncing for attention.

"_Hello?" _she called out.

A head popped out from one of the rooms. "Come here!" The man waved her over.

Still paranoid over the man, Chinatsu slowly approached the opening of the room. She peered inside it to see him folding a blanket over the bed.

"This will be your room," Yamato said after a good two hour of cleaning the dusty old room.

When he turned to Chinatsu, he blinked a couple of times.

The carelessness of her body and face was still there, but it was cleaner and somewhat healthier. It seemed more alive. Yamato gave a Chinatsu a small smile as she examined the room with eyes that were more on the glistening side than dull. "Chinatsu, my name is Yamato."

"_Huh?"_

"Yamato."

"_Your name?"_

"Yamato."

"…_yah-mah-toe."_

"Yamato."

"_Yuh-mae-two."_

"Yamato."

"_Yah-mah-toe."_

Something pulled at his lips until it resembled a smile. Yamato shook his head before carefully exiting the room. With any fast movements he knew that he would be risking not only her trust but also her comfort. Without another word, he disappeared, hoping that she'll be distracted with her new 'home' in hopes to evaluate her, as the Hokage had demanded it of him in his side mission of this case.

Chinatsu wandered around the room, looking at the blank walls, studying the dresser to the side, uncovering the desk against the wall, and opening the closet for inspection. Once she was done, she gingerly sat upon the bed and glanced out the window, hugging herself into a small ball of comfort.

The sun was still playing in the sky, dancing in happiness amongst the clouds.

Though she wanted to explore the areas of this house, her eyelids were tugging downwards in exhaustion. Soon enough, Chinatsu slid against the bed, falling into a deep sleep. Chinatsu was content with death if it had only allowed her to sunbath for a moment longer. A part of her knew this was too good to be true and only hope for it to be her last vision till her death.

But it was true, and she'll live.

Little did Chinatsu know there were a set of narrowed yellow-turquoise eyes staring at her that was completely invisible to her, and the eyes of her keeper.

**Longer chapter this time! :DD**

**Sadly, Kakashi does not get to house Chinatsu, lol! It's Yamato! (: Alright, I'm going to be catching up on Naruto manga and hopefully I'll be able to update my knowledge since when Itachi died, haha. **

**To those who believe I will drop the story: **_** I won't! **_I believe in finishing all my stories despite how long it'll take. So have no fears! I also have a crapload of stories on fictionpressdotcom, so I'll be updating and switching on and off of sites from time to time. I've worked on a schedule of updating one story on fiction, the next on fanfiction, the next on fiction, so on and so forth. So, hopefully the updates will be faster! (:

Anyone out of character, feel free to tell me.

Longer chapter! Happy? :DD I AM!

**ALSO, **I've switched the italics to Chinatsu's "english" language. It was getting awkward for my eyes when I noticed there were too much italics for Japanese. So I've decided to switch it.

Italics = English

Regular font = Japanese

I will be fixing the previous chapters, starting with chapter six.

**Edit: I just found out mangafox doesn't have Naruto anymore. (IMMENSLY SAD)**

**Thank you my reviewers!**

**invisible-gurl **warning746 _xiMenagerie _**dizzydani666** freezeazy _RustyHooker _**blondiesurfiechick** Ambivalentanarchist _Radioactive-Pingu _**Voxytoo** Lolly _CannibalTofu_

**Rusty Hooker – **No, it's completely alright! (: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! And thank goodness, it's not lame, haha! I tried to make it as realistic as possible with the whole parallel universe thing. It's going swell so far. And there will be many updates after this ;D


	10. Foreign

**Chapter 10: Foreign**

When Chinatsu opened her eyes, it was dark.

For a moment, the terrified thought of being back into her cell crossed her mind until she realized there was a blanket over her head. She pulled of away from her face to see that night had fallen. A fist rose to her mouth and she coughed.

Wiping the germ-covered fist to her eyes without thinking, Chinatsu sniffled and shivered. The night was much colder up here than down under. She wrapped the blanket around herself as a means of comfort and stared out the window.

The moon hung low in the sky, lower than it usually would be back in her world. It was full and as supple as a mother's breast. Clouds wisped through the sky as if painted carelessly by an artist's hand, but it was balanced by the abundant amount of stars gleaming and sparkling. The moonlight shone below to mother earth with indescribable warmth. It somewhat made Chinatsu feel a moment of solace.

Chocolate eyes lowered from the sky and peered around the backyard. The backyard of Yah-mah-toe's comfortable, but unfamiliar home was decent enough for a dog or two. Green grass was neatly trimmed accordingly so. There was a row of flowers against the tall white wooden fence directly opposite of Chinatsu's window.

Her heart stopped when she saw glinting eyes staring at her from underneath the tulips of the backyard garden.

Out of fear, Chinatsu couldn't do anything but stare at it. After seeing glowing hands without the use of electricity, duplication of people without the influence of drugs, seeing glowing eyes was nothing more than something that was probably dangerous to this world.

But it didn't seem dangerous after the glowing eyes took a step forward and tumbled clumsily out of the batch of tulips.

It was a kitten.

The blue furball scrambled to its paws quickly and darted back into the flower batch. The daisies and tulips swayed from side to side for a moment before stilling.

Chinatsu blinked at what she had seen before standing up. She neared the window and continued to stare at the flowers and noticed that the kitten was still there. The female within her squealed at the prospect of cuddling an animal, and completely decided against all dangers of the outside world and opened the window.

She glanced over her shoulder for a second, to see if Yah-mah-toe had noticed her opening the window. Once the coast was clear, she put her leg through the window and jumped out.

The night was chilly. The wind blew through her hair, throwing strands of it from side to side much to Chinatsu's irritation.

After roughly pushing back her hair, Chinatsu slowly approached the flowers and knelt before it.

The blue kitten yowled at her presence and even exited the protectiveness of the flowers to spit and hiss, with bushy tail and all, comically at her before disappearing back inside.

It made Chinatsu laugh before she completely lowered herself to the ground to peer at the amusing little animal. She held out her hand and tutted her tongue, _"Come here, kitty, kitty."_

A swipe of a small paw from the flowers was her response to her call.

Without further ado, Chinatsu reached into the abundant plants and retrieved an angry little kitten.

"_Ow! Son of a gun!" _Chinatsu cursed when the kitten dug its small claws into the flesh of her hands. She grimaced and held the cat by the skin of its neck till it was motionless in the air.

This was no ordinary cat.

It was a mutant kitten.

The color of its fur was blue, a very odd color for a cat. There were black tiger-like markings covering the expanse of the kitten's body. Feline eyes were mismatched in color: yellow and turquoise. It narrowed at Chinatsu and bared its little kitty fangs before clawing towards her in the empty air. All this wasn't odd about the mutant kitten. It was the fact that the small feline had two tails emerging from its rump.

"_You're an odd ball, aren't you?" _Chinatsu asked softly.

The cat answered with an angry yowl.

Chinatsu giggled before extending a finger to the angry cat.

Big mistake.

The kitten's head suddenly lurched forward and bit the shit out of her small finger.

"_Motherfucker!" _Chinatsu cursed, before flinging the cat back into the shrubs where it had emerged. She groaned, holding her index finger to the sky as she kicked out at the empty air from the bleeding puncture wounds. _"Oh, that fucking cat!" _Akane's bad nature for cursing tended to rub off on Chinatsu when in immense pain, as she was now.

A hiss escaped from her mouth as she clutched her hand to her chest. She had enough crap coming from the people of this stupid world.

Helpless kitten be damned, she did NOT need this shit from a dumb small animal.

As Chinatsu sat up from her fetal position on the floor to deliver some pain upon the helpless two-month old kitten (as evil and demented, and inhumane as it may seem), the kitten walked out from the flowers with the cutest eyes ever seen (with the exception of Puss in Boots from _Shrek_).

The black of the kitten's eyes grew till the color of its mismatched orbs was unable to be seen. It cutely walked towards Chinatsu, with its stumble and all, till it was before her. Soon enough, it elongated its body long enough till it was able to clean her bite with its rough, small tongue.

The kitten was…cleaning her wound…

Chinatsu gave it a droll look. _"You knew what I was going to kick your ass, weren't you? That's the only reason why you're apologizing!" _

The kitten merely meowed before continuing.

Fiery anger sizzled till it was nothing. Chinatsu sat there, staring as the cat continued to groom her reddening finger. Once finished, it then sat at its bum before leaning back and swiping its paws gently at Chinatsu's looming presence. It made Chinatsu mold over the fact that this small animal had the decency to apologize for its actions whereas the humans of this world merely threw her to another direction without a word of explanation…not that she could understand, but still!

A heavy sigh escaped from her. Chinatsu violently ripped a daisy from Yah-mah-toe's garden (ignoring the spray of dirt from her greenery murder) and started playing with the small kitten for the pass of amusement. It must've been late at night, but she didn't have an ounce of care in the world.

An hour passed and Chinatsu continued to play with the kitten. It was then Yah-mah-toe appeared.

Chinatsu stared up at him with wide eyes as he scolded her with the same ferocity as her mother while Kitty (as she had dubbed it) disappeared. He continuously pointed to the moon, swung that stabbing finger in her direction and waggled it as sharp, strong foreign words came from his mouth. It was disconcerting how recognizable Yah-mah-toe's lecture was to her mother. Were all Japanese people like this?

It was then when Chinatsu actually had a peek at his very, very (and she stresses '_very'_) creepy face when he had noticed the wilting daisy in her hand. She ended the night streaking in a death run, and huddled in the bedroom.

Living with Yah-mah-toe was interesting…

For the first three days, she ignored him and pondered about everything and anything throughout the dreadfully long hours of each day. Chinatsu explored the house continuously, looking in each room and even glancing at a few books shelved in one of the rooms. Everything in this house was meticulously placed in order and in place. There was nothing disarrayed, nor was there anything messy. This man seriously had some cleaning issues.

There was a situation where Chinatsu left her towel on the floor of the bathroom. Yah-mah-toe scolded her and she picked it up like a bratty child and threw it in her room, on the floor.

When he showed his 'creepy face', she immediately straightened up and placed the towel where it belongs.

That was when the communication kicked up.

Yamato (which she had managed to finally pronounce correctly, despite how hideous her accent was, after the first week living with him) made breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the both of them. She felt somewhat bad, but was lightened by her guilt when she knew she wouldn't be able to create anything edible for the both of them; especially in this odd world.

But the food was alien.

Being 'white-washed', Chinatsu had no idea of what the Oriental sides of provisions were. She fed on hamburgers, spaghetti, pizza, and even salmon! But…this was completely different from American food.

The only thing she recognized from what he made in his beautiful ivory-tiled kitchen was rice.

And that was the only thing she had been eating for the first week.

It was unhealthy, yes, and as a practicing nurse, she knew of it, but did nothing to change it. She didn't recognize the weird, oddly shaped food in this world. It might as well be dog liver for all she knew!

So, that was her seven days: rice and water.

It was until Yamato put his foot down. He hid any evidence of rice and showed different food. It was a tough war, but he won.

Yamato introduced an odd fruit called _ringo._ It looked a lot like an apple in Chinatsu's eyes. And when she tentatively bit into it, she realized, it was an apple! Not all was lost! The introduction to food was slow, but there. Yamato would bring a fruit, veggie a day and give it to Chinatsu for her to try. Of course, she would nibble upon the unidentified object before either nodding her head in approval or twisting her face in disgust.

Eating on the dinner table was a completely different topic.

They had chopsticks. Chopsticks. Chinatsu tried to look for a spoon high and low, but no anvil. She was stuck with chopsticks.

One can imagine how horrendous her table manners were without the aid of a fork or spoon.

And once again, Yamato was forced to change her unbecoming manners. He was in charge of Chinatsu for the moment, but throughout the duration of his forced 'baby-sitting', he refused to raise a barbarian! Yamato had to literally show her how to properly hold chopsticks and even slowly maneuvered it in her hands when she had no desire to learn.

She still doesn't know how to use it, much to his frustrations.

Though there were a lot more to cover, Yamato was somewhat satisfied with the results. The woman had come out of her shell and had even put up a fight with him (which wasn't resolved due to the language barrier) when she looking for something around his garden while he wanted her to clean her room and try more vegetables.

And when she didn't get what she wanted, she'd go to her room and throw herself on her bed.

It was then Yamato realized this woman couldn't be eighteen or older. She had to be younger than Naruto because she sure acted like a child.

And because she acted like a child, he'd treated her as a child.

When he had started his small operation of his, Chinatsu got even feistier. It was as if she knew he was treating her like a child and abhorred it. It continued on for an additional four more days with constant bickering at her messy table manners, force-feeding new food, and time-outs when it was called for. Yamato knew it was highly embarrassing and humiliating for the woman, but it had to be done. And that's when Chinatsu demanded for it to stop.

When she had literally stripped off her shirt and shorts to show him that she was not a child, Yamato yelled at her to put her cloths back on and even had to cover his eyes as she was in the process of undoing her underwear and bra.

She was certainly a woman, a well-developed woman.

The first time Chinatsu had eaten meat (which was hilarious to Yamato considering how she poked around it like a fungus before nibbling at it) she inhaled it like a vacuum. Not only that, but she had also had the mad munchies when it comes to sugary, fatty substances. When she wanted sweets, she got it along with another three batches of sweet bread.

After the first month with Yamato, she gained back her weight…and more.

Yamato once pointed it out to her by slowly, but gently, poking her stomach teasingly. He barely escaped the mini-battle with his arm, which was decorated with five malicious long nail makings.

The next day, she was moaning and rolling on the floor.

When Chinatsu had gotten her period for the first time in months (due to the lack of regular exercise and healthy eating from her imprisonment), she felt as if there was a demon child inside of her, scratching the walls of her uterus.

"_Where's the pamprin? Why don't you stupid people have midol?"_ she all but screamed.

Yamato had fussed over her body before leaving a copy of himself next to her while his original body disappeared. It would've freaked Chinatsu out if her stomach wasn't roiling and twisting with intense cramps. She merely pressed her face against the wooden floors and concentrated hard to try and ignore World War III happening within her.

A pink-haired girl had arrived at the house. Chinatsu refused to allow the girl to approach her by crawling underneath the bed.

Yamato attempted to drag her out, but she merely screamed out _'No!'_ and even kicked at him. It was then the pink-haired girl slid a familiar but odd package under her bed.

Praise the lord; it was pads!

The two months Chinatsu had been with Yamato, she had gotten used to him. But with another person, it was back to step one. It wasn't that Chinatsu didn't want to meet new people (which was a lie, it was somewhat part of it), but it was the fact that she didn't trust anyone in this world, anyone besides Yamato and Kakashi, who she hasn't seen since the she was beaten up by that pale kid.

Chinatsu curled upon her bed, bringing the white pillow closer to her chest as she stared at the wall over her head.

Two months, two unbelievable months.

The only reason why she was aware of how many days have passed is because she had been tally-marking a blank sheet of paper. It added up to the total of sixty-five days.

These two months were completely different from the first five months here. Chinatsu still wasn't sure why she had been attained and even examined like whole different specie and then thrown away without importance. She felt as if the government of this world was much more lenient. Back home, she was sure that if an alien landed on earth, it would be captured and studied mercilessly for the years to come. But nope, not her! She was out in less than half a year.

Chinatsu sighed and threw the pillow on the floor. But it was quickly picked up and gently placed at the head of her bed. She did not want to start the morning with Yamato's creepy face.

She shuddered at the thought of it.

"Yamato!" she called out, walking out of the room. The second week of her stay here, Yamato had gone out and bought her a set of clothes. She donned a plain black top with white long shorts that reached below her knees. It somewhat reminded her of basketball shorts from the light and thin material.

"In the kitchen," a deep voice said.

"_I want an apple! Goddammit, how do you say it? Reen…ringo? _Apple!" As soon as Chinatsu turned the corner, she went dead still at the familiar face.

"Chinatsu-!" Yamato started, but it was too late. The girl had already run in full terror back to her room. He sighed and turned back to his guest to apologize. "Sorry, Shizune-san, she's a bit…"

"No, no, don't apologize. I'm impressed by how she's already familiarized herself with you. And did she just say 'apple'?" Shizune picked up the glass of water, which was offered to her at the beginning of her visit, and sipped at it gingerly.

Yamato preened like a mother hen and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "By now she knows a few words."

"Like what?"

"…Like food words." Yamato sighed. "She knows how to say: water, apple, cucumber, broccoli, fish, and sweet bread."

Shizune cocked her head to the right in question. "She doesn't know anything else? It's been two months, Yamato." She chided.

"I know, but she hasn't tried to learn at all. I attempted to teach her, but…" Yamato paused as he remembered Chinatsu's stubborn, bored face and her snapping tone. He shook his head from the memory and shrugged. "It seems as if she doesn't want to learn. Perhaps it's just for the moment, but she'll catch on soon. And when she does, we might be able to get more information."

"That is if she's willing," Shizune nodded her head before standing. "I'm surprised that she's connected well with you for the two months. I expected her to take longer, especially with…." With the torture the interrogation and the medical specialists have done to her, was what Shizune wanted to say.

Yamato took in Shizune's silent words and nodded slowly. "I had my suspicions at first, and asked Sakura. She mentioned how animals, and even babies, would subconsciously attach themselves to the stronger being in an effort of survival."

To latch onto someone, something, strong to ensure survival did make sense, Shizune supposed. With another nod, she turned to him and smiled, "Well, you should be on the way to Tsunade-sama's office, she's waiting for your report."

It was a weird feeling, to feel nervous and somewhat sad at the moment's separation from the woman he had brought under his home. For a moment, he felt like a mother sending off her child to school. Yamato sighed at the estrogen running through his veins and cracked his neck, feeling the need to relieve himself from it. He needed to train with Kakashi-senpai and hopefully gain some masculinity back into his life. Wearing the frilly apron in the kitchen while making dinner for a woman was too much.

"Alright," Yamato walked to the fridge and picked up a dish full of neatly cut apple slices. He removed the clear wrap and turned to Shizune. "Let's go check on her, I'll need to say bye else she'll freak out and run."

"Has she run off before?"

Yamato shook his head. "Nope. Neither when I'm gone or busy. The house is bugged with recordings and cameras at each corner. The Hokage told me to trust my instinct. I thought I'd need more eyes and ears with Chinatsu, but nope. It's like taking care of a child."

A very troublesome child, as Shikamaru would say.

"Chinatsu," Yamato knocked on her room door. He turned the knob and pushed the door wide open.

A white shirt that was on the floor was quickly picked up and thrown in the closet as if trying to hide the mess from his ninja eyes. It made brown orbs narrow at the sheepish, nervous feminine face. "Chinatsu, I thought you to clean your room this morning!"

"_I don't understand what you're saying."_

"Don't even try that," he scolded (well knowing what she's saying by the innocent shrugging gesture of her shoulders and blank look on her face) before placing the plate of apple slices on her desk.

Almost immediately, she scurried to the dish.

Yamato watched as she hesitatingly picked one up before nibbling on it. He noticed her bright eyes wavered anxiously, eyeing Shizune who smiled at her kindly.

"Chinatsu, this is Shizune. Shizune." Yamato repeated, hoping that she would repeat the woman's name.

The crunching sounds of apples being chewed up were the only sound in the room.

"Shizune." Yamato tried once more.

Chinatsu huffed delicately and merely turned her back to the both of them as she continued eating her rather sweet and delicious apples.

"Why you-!" A vein popped from Yamato's forehead by Chinatsu's intolerant bad manners. Just when he was about to reprimand her, Shizune giggled.

"It's alright, Yamato. Why don't you start walking? I'm sure Tsunade-sama will not be happy with your tardy. It's already ten-fourteen."

A quick glance to the clock near the bedside made Shizune's words stand.

Yamato sighed. "If she's too much to handle, there's some sleeping serum in the cupboard to the far right." The only time he really had to use that was when she was suffering from continuous nightmares in the beginning of her stay here. Another time he had used it was when her 'tantrum' had gotten far too vicious and nasty.

Just as he was about to exit his home, a small squeak called for his attention.

"Yamato!"

The man turned around in question, watching as Chinatsu stood in the hallway with a face full on anguish and anxiousness. He watched as she glanced at Shizune, and slowly started walking towards him. She purposely, much to his amusement, made a wide arc around Shizune at a snail's pace before rushing towards him once it was deemed safe in her terms.

"_Where are you going?"_

"I'm just going to…visit someone." Yamato hesitated to say anything about the Hokage, especially when it any conversation concerned Chinatsu. He still didn't know where she stood. "I'll be home soon, don't eat so much."

"_Are you leaving me?" _

"I'll be back in two hours."

"_Who is she? Why is she here? I don't want her to be here!"_

"That's Shizune over there, she's going to take care of you."

"_I'm not a child! I don't need a babysitter!"_

Shizune giggled at the two. Though they were speaking in different languages, it seemed as if they were actually conversing with each other. Not only was that hilarious, but the aura between the two was calm, much like family.

"Remember, no more cookies." He deliberately eyed her slightly pudgy stomach. His expectation to see a furious face was not met. Yamato knew he had to hurry. He was already late for the two-month appointment. "And behave," he stressed, knowing that Chinatsu had moments were her behavior was related to that of a temperamental toddler, aka Naruto.

With those words, he flicked her nose. Hard.

"_I'M NOT A DOG!" _

Her scream echoed through his teleportation jutsu, which had him chuckling. When his eyes opened from the merriment of hearing the girl screeching, he nearly choked on his saliva from seeing himself in the Hokage's office. It wasn't the fact that he was at his destination, but the dispassionate face of Tsunade that had him nearly at a heart attack.

"Ah—Hokage-sama," he quickly corrected himself and bowed.

"Yamato," Tsunade said with a hard tone of voice. She sarcastically glanced outside the window and scrutinized the sun. "It's, oh, what can I say, ten-twenty?"

He didn't even have the chance to excuse himself before Tsunade slammed her fist on the mahogany desk of hers. "What the hell took so long?"

The golden fire in her eyes told him that she was craving alcohol…bad. And when she was craving, she was pretty irritated and pissed off.

Yamato's slightly slouched body immediately straightened at the woman's voice. "Chinatsu took notice of my nearing disappearance and was uncomfortable with Shizune's presence."

Tsunade grunted. Her muscles relaxed from its tense position as the blood rushing through her head finally slowed. The chair creaked as she leaned back against it. "Tell me about the progress with the woman," she demanded.

"For the period of her stay with me, I have noted Chinatsu the same as a citizen. I have not sensed a violent bone in her body. The cameras have not captured any movements that could be deemed as an enemy. Chinatsu has not tried to kill me, nor cause my any harm. She is completely harmless and ordinary; there is nothing special about her besides the fact that she does not have chakra and jutsus have no affect on her. I haven't felt anything or seen anything that could have connections to Uchiha Madara," Yamato briefed. "She has learned a handful of words."

"Have you tried to teach her our language?" Tsunade asked, continuing to jot down information. "If you have, what was her response?"

"I have tried to teach her, but she has no desire to learn." Yamato informed. "She knows a few words, but they only relate to food. Chinatsu wanders around the backyard entertaining herself with a neighborhood stray, but for most of the time, she stays within the vicinity of the house and…"

Yamato struggled to find a word to define Chinatsu's actions. He had noted that Chinatsu tended to sigh a lot nowadays. There was an air of depression and sadness that emanated from her.

"And…?"

"And, she mopes."

A golden brow arched. "She mopes?"

"There are times," Yamato paused, molding on words to try and describe the woman's demeanor. "…when she is immensely quiet."

"So, you're saying that she is very talkative nowadays, right?" Tsunade picked up the manila folder before her and flipped it open. She licked the tip of the pencil point before scribbling upon it.

"At times," he said.

"Do you understand what she's saying? Does she understand what you're saying?"

He shook his head. "I comprehend nothing of her language. She attempted to teach me a few words, but…" Yamato paused, thinking about the moment when Chinatsu called the red apple a different phrase. It was too bold, loud, and complicated. He hoped the Hokage wouldn't order him to learn the language. It would certainly be a pain in the ass. "…but it makes no sense."

"I would expect," Tsunade said. "So, there are times when she's quiet?"

"Yes. It seems as if she's reminiscing. Either that or she's just…bored."

"Has there been any moments were she was in pain or discomfort?"

A blush literally covered his whole face. "Only during the moments of her menstrual cycle, but I believe that's normal. The only thing is she's just bored. There's nothing for her to do, no matter what I give, she finds entertainment in nothing."

This had the blond woman roll her eyes. "What do you do when a child is bored?" Before Yamato could respond, Tsunade went ahead and ranted, "Give the child something to do! Make her go out and walk around. It isn't healthy for her to be cooped up. Since there have been no reports about Madara, she might as well get used to the area, assuming you will keep an eye on her, right? If she's bored, get her a toy, a dog, a book; just get her something and get the hell out of my office. Remember to turn in your full report of two months to Shizune."

A creak of the door caught both attentions.

Yamato turned to see Kakashi walking in. "Kakashi-senpai," he greeted.

"Yo," Kakashi stood next to the door, contemplating whether or not he should enter judging by the annoyed look on Tsunade's face.

"Hatake," The Hokage's face went flat at the jounin's sleepy appearance. "It's before noon, what in the world are you doing here?"

Kakashi closed the door behind him. He slipped his hands into his pockets, walking into the room as casually as can be. "I heard from a little birdy that there was going to be a report given about Chinatsu. I wanted to be present to hear about it. And since I've been with the girl for over a while, it's only fair that I can put an ear in, no?"

"If I wasn't mistaken, it seems as if you've taken a liking to the girl, senpai," Yamato mentioned. He crossed his arms, puffing out his chest as a father would with his daughter's boyfriend.

His senpai shrugged. "It's just a matter of assessing the case."

"A case you have no business with."

"A case that started with me."

Tsunade rolled her eyes at the tensed males. "Enough of this! There's too much testosterone in the air!" As if to prove how stuffy it was in the room, the blond woman walked to her window and threw the panes open hard enough that it slammed against the exterior of the building, sending off a few pigeons into the air.

Yamato huffed. "Chinatsu is doing well. She's slowly adapting."

As if hearing that made him feel better, Kakashi's shoulders sagged a bit; just a tiny bit. He cleared his throat. "How's she behaving?"

"Like a child."

Memories of the girl's child-like anger brought a small smile to Kakashi's masked face. There was nothing more amusing than watching Chinatsu hiss and snap at him when in anger, which had been quite a long time ago. A very long time ago.

"Both of you, out." Tsunade demanded.

Instantaneously they were out of the room. It was one thing to handle an angry Hokage, but a highly irritated one…? That was a certain death match.

Yamato brushed off invisible dust from the sleeve of his uniform. He turned towards his senpai to see him wearing a contemplative expression. "Kakashi-senpai, what are you doing today?"

"Me?" Kakashi asked. "Hmm,"

A lengthy amount of time pass before Yamato gave the white-haired man a droll look. "Anything that'll fit Chinatsu and I into your schedule?"

"Well, I was planning on training the kids in the afternoon…" Kakashi walked down the hallway of the building. "But, I'm much too busy with…." For some reason, today the excuses just weren't coming as smoothly as it usually does.

Yamato caught onto Kakashi's lie and shook his head. "Why don't Chinatsu and I come by the training field? It's been a while since I've trained. Chinatsu can watch, and maybe later we all can go out to eat lunch or dinner. Tsunade asked me to take her out and have the view of the world. Especially since she's so bored nowadays."

"...Aa."

Chinatsu locked herself up in the room, watching the door at all times as she munched on her third batch of apple slices.

She didn't trust the woman out there…even if she did nicely cut her third apple for Chinatsu. No matter how nice and kind the black-haired woman looked, she didn't trust her. Looks were too deceiving and Chinatsu learned that first hand from her stay here. Kids were jumping at the heights of superheroes and almost every adult on sight were just as deadly as assassins.

Chinatsu sighed and curled up in her bed. A stray thought crossed her mind, making the woman sit up and peek out her window.

Kitty hadn't visited her for quite sometime. The last time she saw the blue cat (which was now monstrously full grown) had been three weeks, close to a month, ago.

An aggravated sigh echoed through the room. She was irrefutably bored. There was nothing for her to do here, nothing! Her passing days were bearable only because Yamato was here, and Kitty was always dropping by. And because Yamato never let her out of the house, which she didn't really mind since the outside world was too alien, Chinatsu was stuck inside all day.

The unimaginative woman was about to go to her desk and start doodling when her bedroom door opened.

"Yamato!" she chirped in excitement.

Damn, she really was turning into a child.

But nonetheless, Chinatsu ran over to Yamato with a wide smile, completely happy that he was back.

"Chinatsu," he nodded to her before bringing something to her attention. In his hand was a small electronic device that was vaguely familiar. He started talking in his foreign language, maneuvering the small technological machine in his hand; in a sense he was explaining it to her. When he switched on a button, the device blinked and started playing something similar to an 8-git gameboy music.

Wait a second…is this a gameboy?

"This is for you," Yamato watched carefully as Chinatsu hesitatingly grabbed the game system. "It's for you to play whenever you're bored."

He thought it was a crafty idea. As Kakashi and Yamato were walking through the marketplace, the swarm of boys surrounding a specific area caught his eyes. He watched in interest as they were crowing and screeching about updates and battle combos. It seemed like a good idea. That is until he saw the droll look on her face.

"_Do I look like an eight-year-old to you?" _Chinatsu asked, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot in a fast pace angry rhythm. _"Who do you think I am? I know you know that I don't know what you're saying, but that doesn't mean I don't understand what this means. I am not a child!"_

Yamato sweatdropped. This wasn't really what was he expecting.

What can one expect from an angry woman?

"Well…" Yamato awkwardly shifted from foot to foot, not knowing what to do as Chinatsu was still glaring at him. "Let's go."

Those words immediately made Chinatsu's furious demeanor dissipate. "_Eh? Let's go? Is that what you just said in Japanese? Where are we going? Are we actually going outside?" _Apprehension and nervousness with a mixture of excitement literally sparked in her aura.

Yamato smiled down at her and nodded down the hallway. "Let's go," was all he said. He didn't need to say more, knowing that she was following him closely.

Shizune had already disappeared back into the hospital as soon as Yamato arrived. Luckily, she had delivered him good news, informing him that Chinatsu had not thrown a tantrum of any sort. Seriously, taking care of this girl was like an expert handling a time bomb. Yamato figured the tweaks and tricks to detonating it, but it could only be for a moment, no longer.

He hummed underneath his breath, walking out of the house and locking it before facing the world. Dark eyes glanced at the woman next to him to see her nervously peeking around.

Chinatsu was tightly gripping her hands. She twisted them, pressing it against the softness of her stomach as she followed closely, closely to Yamato.

If she wanted to be portrayed as anything, she'd be compared to a little ghost attempting to act as his shadow.

"Chinatsu, there's nothing to be afraid of," Yamato continued talking on and on, knowing that the sound of his voice brought some sort of comfort to her as she started to relax to some extent.

The woman's eyes were darting from side to side, taking in the foreign place she was in. Chinatsu studied the venders, the citizens, the shops, and the food, associating it with a flea market (a swapmeet, as it was called back home). She really was somewhere else; perhaps it was a third world country. Her brown eyes took in a man cutting up fish out in the open, a woman making noodles at the sideline, and a small flower shop.

Children darted at her feet, shrieking with delight as they played amongst the bustling area. Woman laughed delicately amongst each other like gossiping pigeons. Men boasted off, puffing their chest as if to prove their strength to the other.

As Chinatsu continued to walk, she couldn't help but feel awkward. Did she have a huge stamp across her forehead stating that she was a foreigner? More than once had she caught a stray glance, or a stare, that was directed straight at her. It made her utmost uncomfortable.

Chinatsu hurried to Yamato when she realized he was more than up ahead of her. She glanced a crying child at the steps of store and grimaced. Quickly, she went to the child, deposited that horrid insult of a gameboy Yamato had given her, and ran off.

"We're almost there!" Yamato called out, making a right turn till there was nothing but greenery.

Chocolate eyes took in the sight of vast green fields. There were trees planted here and there, different of sorts, along with a gentle stream with a fragile looking bridge built over it. Chinatsu couldn't help but take in a deep breath.

It was beautiful.

"Yamato-taichou!"

Birds flocked into the air from the loud voice. And sadly, that included Chinatsu. She flinched harshly, jumping into the air like a stray wild animal would and darted behind Yamato's back for safety. A chuckle reverberated from his body as he took notice of Chinatsu's sudden need for safety. She narrowed her eyes, recognizing that she wasn't attacked and poked him hard at his back for making fun of her.

He merely shook his head. "Naruto," he greeted.

"Are you training with us?" The blond asked excitingly. "I heard from Kakashi-sensei that you were coming! We were just starting out with our taijutsu!"

The rest of Team Seven were revealed from the trees.

"Are you ready to spar?" Kakashi asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he gave a smile. "I thought you'd be too busy cooking in your pink apron to train with us for the first hour or so."

As soon as Chinatsu heard that voice she literally straightened up to her toes. She peered around and noticed it was 'Ga-ga-ji', and was about to call out for him when Yamato roared with laughter. He turned around, hauled Chinatsu over his shoulder (who screeched and cursed at him) and went to a nearby tree.

Yamato gently deposited Chinatsu against a tree, laughing as her furious face turned to him. "Now, now, don't be so angry." He gently flicked her nose, which was retaliated with a swipe of her hand. "Just stay here and watch-"

"_What the hell was that for, you asshole?" _Chinatsu picked herself from the ground and stabbed a finger in his face. _"Why couldn't you just tell me you wanted me to sit here instead of hauling me around like a caveman!" _As much as Chinatsu wanted to rant more, due to her embarrassment of being carried around like a sack of rice, Yamato's hands started moving around in funky positions.

"Just watch," he repeated as soon as he finished with his hand seals.

The man turned around to see Team Seven already in action. Soon enough, he threw himself into the fray and felt as if his muscles were finally about to enjoy a hard workout.

Chinatsu's jaw dropped as she watched the four move around with a speed of a cheetah. No, it definitely had to be faster! She collapsed onto her derriere, eyes widen and unblinking as she watched them gracefully going in and out of the 'death ring', as she would like to call it. She watched as they spiraled in the air, twisted away from close enough hits, and delivered their own punches that could be heard from where she was sitting.

They were like martial artists, masters of the human body. But they weren't sparring, she supposed. They were laughing, grinning madly, and making jokes.

Are they…are they circus entertainers?

**I was going to add more, but the chapter was already getting too long D: **

Some may already recognize the kitten, lol. You may ask but I won't make any promises of answering. Everything will eventually start explaining itself c: In the next chapter, it'll explain a bit more, along with more entertaining of Chinatsu adjusting to the new world, as I'd like to put it ;D

Yamato and Chinatsu have developed a sort of big brother-little sister bond, lol. It may seem fatherly at some point, too.

I started reading Naruto the other day and I've been eating that up like a vacuum. I'm AMAAAZED at what I have missed throughout all these years. I've passed Naruto vsing Pein, and the abruption of the Kage meeting. Now I'm on **Sasuke vs Danzo!** I'm so excited for that part! :DDD I'm still a bit far from the ending (of what has been updated), but I'm getting there! Therefore, all of my plans for this story has been thrown out the window and remodeled to somewhat fit the structure of the manga (:

I've been molding over the thought of writing a **KimimaroxOC** story, and probably will be uploading it soon. I'm not sure what his personality is like, but I will be doing research. Feel free to drop any information about **Kimimaro** and your thoughts of it if you can! (:

Btw, I have to say this, **Chojito** is so freaking adorable. I saw him escorting Mei to the Kages meeting, and I wanted to hug him :3

**Thank you my reviewers!** You keeping me going with these chapters! I'm already starting on the next one, haha!

Any questions, feel free to ask.

**RustyHooker** bestfriend1295 _xiMenagerie_ **Voxytoo** Eternal Cat Moon _Bunni and Me_ **Radioactive-Pingu** Eclipsewings _AikoTachibana_


	11. Circulation

**Chapter 11: Learn**

They…stunk.

Chinatsu literally had to breath to her mouth when they neared her, chatting about her (which she was only assuming from Yamato's gestures towards her) after they had finished sparring for, oh, only four hours straight. For four hours straight, Chinatsu was watching them, watching as they progressed their nifty Jackie Chan/Bruce Lee moves into something that belonged solely to fantasy martial arts movies.

It was then, as Chinatsu watched them, did she realize that this was a magical world.

Her heart was beating at the pace of a racehorse, staring at the small figures in the distance as they impossibly created fire, water, and other moves with just the motion of their hands and the yell of random words.

The pink-haired girl, Sah-kur-ah, punched the ground and ruptured the earth.

As in the earth split open beneath the dainty teenager.

Chinatsu thanked the gods and above that they had their sparring moments far, far away from her. She didn't know what she could have done to defend herself if a spray of fire caught whim of her.

This was honestly like a movie.

"So, where are we going out to eat?" Naruto asked, dusting off the dirt from his shirt and rubbing the sweat off of his face. "Ichiraku?" The excitement in his voice was heard from miles and miles away.

"Yakiniku Q?" Sakura piped.

Yamato hummed, tilting his head to the side in thought. He then nodded, "Let's eat noodles." His eyes glanced at Chinatsu who was peering at each one of them in curiosity. "Chinatsu, we're eating noodles."

Chinatsu's face flamed in red as Yamato spoke to her while motioning one hand repeatingly going to his mouth. _"I'm not a child, I know what you're saying._" She grumbled in embarrassment. Her eyes turned to 'Ga-ga-ji' to see him turning away from the crowd.

"Ah, Kakashi-sensei, where are you going?" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke's eyes glanced up and noticed a red-tailed hawk flying in a specific amount of circles before going off.

The silver-haired man turned and waved to the group. "I'm sorry, Yamato, but I'll have to miss this." Without another word, the man disappeared from the area.

"Oh, well, it's his loss." Naruto shrugged before turning to Yamato with a fox-like grin spreading across his face. "Yamato-taichou, are you treating us?"

"Naruto, that's bad manners!" Sakura snapped, slapping a hand at the back of Naruto's head. "Isn't that right, Sasuke?"

Sasuke ignored them. He tolerated Naruto and Sakura's bickering, watching the foreign woman as she sighed constantly and scrutinized her surroundings with worried eyes. It wasn't that she was an alien woman that caught Sasuke's attention, but the fact that he couldn't feel her chakra. There had to be chakra, it was a must to the living. But as much as he tried to feel it or even see it with his Sharingan, he couldn't.

With that little small information, Sasuke felt vulnerable. It was an unpleasant feeling, something he refused to feel. He'd have to keep this woman on watch.

Yamato took a look at Chinatsu. "Eh, why not?"

Naruto paused in rubbing his aching head to cheer for the happy news. He barely dodged another swipe from Sakura and started running off. "I'll meet you over there! I'm gonna go home and change really fast!"

Sakura took those words in mind and glanced down at herself. "I might as well do the same. I'll see you there, Yamato-taichou!"

It had been around fifteen minutes later when the team had gathered in the shop.

Chinatsu watched around animatedly, taking in the delicious smell, the chatting customers, and the bustling workers. She completely muted Yamato and the teenager's conversation, finding no interest in it when she can't understand them in the first place, to gaze around her. When the friendly old man, who seems like the owner of this noodle shop, placed a bowl in front of her, Chinatsu was taken back.

She turned to Yamato to see him and the others already digging into their meal. Chinatsu looked at the teenagers, and couldn't help but let a small smile grace her features. She listened to the blond and the pinkette's bickering, amused at the sudden thought that compared the blond boy and the pink girl to Akane and herself. A pant of her heart twisted in sorrow, and immediately distinguished the thought. She refused to think of her family. It only brought heartache and pain, knowing that she would probably never see them again.

Just as she was going to ask Yamato a question, she caught the boy with black hair staring at her intently.

And this wasn't just a stare. It was as if he was studying her every move. For a moment, Chinatsu felt like an insect underneath a microscope, being studied and probed around with a stick for education. But this boy had the intensity of a killer. It wasn't until his eyes turned red when she realized he was going to do some hocus pocus spell on her.

Immediately, she looked away and straightened in her chair. She tried to make it look like the teenager did not disturb her, and mentally chastised herself to not cause a scene. Spooked by the teenager, Chinatsu grabbed the wooden chopsticks by the side and started to fiddle with the utensils in hopes that she would already figure out how the hell to use them.

Fed up with the knowledge that she'd never learn how to use these abominations, Chinatsu grunted low in aggravation and swirled one of the chopsticks in the soup. She twisted her wrist, turning the chopstick in hopes to catch the noodles around the utensils as a fork would with spaghetti.

A howl of laughter made Chinatsu look up as soon as she had taken a bit.

"She doesn't know how to use chopsticks? Oh, dear god," Naruto pointed at Chinatsu, laughing at how she was awkwardly using the wooden sticks (or should he say stick?) as a child would.

Yamato glanced at Chinatsu and facepalmed his face when he saw her hamster-like cheeks filled with noodles, her hand hovered over the bowl with one stick fishing out more noodles to stuff in her face. "Oh, Chinatsu…" Yamato shook his head at the way she was eating, feeling embarrass for the girl.

"Naruto, that's not polite!" Sakura snapped, slamming her fist at the back of Naruto's head.

"Ahhh, Sakura-chan, what the hell is it with your hits, man!" Naruto yelped, hissing air between each crack of his teeth as he tried to control pain reverberating throughout his skull. "I was just laughing, dammit!"

Sakura glared at Naruto for his childishness. "Chinatsu-san's development within the village is not a laughing matter, Naruto. She is new to everything around us: the language, the food, the culture, and most likely the people. It's hard to adjust to a new foreign place, Naruto."

"She's not even bothering to learn." Sasuke pushed his empty bowl from him. He turned his head to look at Chinatsu and scoffed. "She's been here for two months, shouldn't she know more than enough by now?"

Yamato's eyes narrowed at Sasuke, taking those words as an insult. But before he had the chance to speak, Sakura was already at it.

"Think about it, Sasuke-kun. She was…." Sakura glanced around her surroundings, eyebrows knitting as she contemplated on whether or not she should bring up the subject of Chinatsu's torturing interrogation. "…she was given a horrible impression on our village. Of course, she wouldn't want to learn anything. If anything, we're lucky that she's docile."

Team Seven weren't aware of everything about the sudden woman, but as a student of the Godaime, a student who literally had access to most of the parts of the building, Sakura couldn't help but be a nosy woman when there was a top secret file teasingly sitting before her. And when she had opened it, eating it with hungry eyes, she never thought her village would be so gruesome; but it was all for the defense of the village. It was.

Chinatsu didn't know what was being said, but she knew she was being laughed at. It wasn't hard when the blond kid blatantly pointed his finger at her.

Her cheeks glowed with shame and humiliation. She cut off the hanging noodles from her mouth with her teeth, chewing slowly as her aura literally went dirt low. It was an awful feeling, really. She twiddled with her chopsticks, hanging her head low.

She didn't say anything at all during the event. When it finished and everyone departed, the two started towards Yamato's home. She could hear the concern in his voice as he communicated with her, but Chinatsu merely ignored him. Her legs were like lead, heavy and dead. Soon enough, that feeling traveled through her body and arms.

Her body was comforted by the softness of her mattress, and her head by the goose feather filled pillow. A heavy sigh was heard and nothing more.

The crescent moon reflected off of her eyes as she stared out the window. Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of the pillow, twisting and tugging at it gently as she was consumed by her thoughts.

Chinatsu was embarrassed. She had never been laughed at. Yeah, Akane used to laugh her ass off at Chinatsu's 'incredible stupidity' (as her younger sister would like to put it), but she knew it wasn't out of malice or the pure intention of making her sister humiliated. But…but to be laughed at by a complete stranger wasn't the same. Perhaps she was a bit more sensitive at the moment, after all who wouldn't be with the ongoing worldly constant shifting, but it didn't matter! She was human! She had feelings!

She pressed her face into the pillow.

A cool breeze from the opened window flowed into her room, cooling her heated skin at the moment's touch.

Wait…her window was open?

Chinatsu lifted herself from the bed and glanced over her shoulder. Sure enough, her window was wide open. It confused Chinatsu because she was pretty sure that it was closed-

A huge body flew through the darkness and landed on Chinatsu's bed.

Her lungs were filled with oxygen and were ready to expel it with carbon dioxide when suddenly the being on top of her licked her cheek with a sandpaper-like tongue.

"_Kitty?" _Chinatsu sat up on her bed quickly, staring at the huge cat cuddling to her body. No, no, this couldn't be the stray mutant cat! Two months ago, Kitty had been a kitten, not much bigger than the size of her two hands from side to side. Now, the cat, which was now washing its fur on her bed, was the size of a miniature dog.

"_What the hell, you have to be on steroids!" _Chinatsu exclaimed, running her hands through the soft fur. The cat's body vibrated with its monstrous purrs, bumping to Chinatsu with its huge body to try and get more rubs.

Ignoring the painful fact that the cat was huge, Chinatsu continued to pet the cat. Previous feelings and emotions were thrown out the window as she immersed herself into the blue cat. She cooed, cuddled, petted, and nuzzled her face into the fur. It had been a month since she last saw Kitty (boy, was that an original name), and when she did the cat was no more the size of a regular cat. Now it was…just big. It was something Chinatsu couldn't stop thinking about.

Kitty certainly was a mutant cat.

Chinatsu sighed, curled upon her bed as Kitty lie besides her. She brushed her hand on Kitty mindlessly, tumbling in her thoughts and before she knew it, she was speaking aloud.

"_I'm lost, Kitty. I don't know what to do," _Chinatsu started. _"What should I do? My life doesn't mean anything anymore. I'm a prisoner here. Everything is so different here, it's alien!" _

The cat's purring was endless.

A hand brushed through tangled hair. _"I…I don't know what to do with myself. I'm all alone. I don't have anyone with me. I don't have my family, my friends or my co-workers. I don't know where I am._ _I feel like I'm trapped here with no choices to do anything." _Soon enough there were tears brimming her eyes. _"I never felt so lost in my life." _Now, those tears were running free. _"I…I-I don't want to…be here."_

She wanted to go home.

"_I don't know anything. I don't know the language, the food, I don't even know where the hell I am! Why the hell is this happening to me? Why did God do this to me? I don't deserve this! I don't deserve this at all!" _Now, she was just a blubbering baby. _"And-and-and…ugh…ugh…." _Chinatsu put her face into Kitty's fur, determined to somehow muffle her cries so Yamato doesn't hear her. _"…I just…I just w-want to go home…"_

Heavy sobbing was heard. The cat did nothing but allow the woman to sob into its coat, somehow knowing full well that the odd woman needed it.

"_I can't survive here…I can't. I don't know anything." _She whispered brokenly.

_**Then learn.**_

Chinatsu sat up quickly, glancing around the room with wide red eyes.

She heard that voice! She heard it!

The blurry vision from the constant crying was viciously rubbed at in hopes that it would clear. And once it was, Chinatsu glanced around. There was nothing. There was nobody in the room. She was positive that she heard a voice just as close as Kitty was now, but nobody was seen.

Chinatsu frowned, coming back to lie on her bed and cuddle with Kitty. If the titanic cat didn't notice anything, she was positive that there was nothing then.

"…'Then…learn'?" She repeated those words that resonated within her mind.

She wasn't sure if the words were more felt than heard, but all she knew was that those words were within her mind.

The two continued to lie there, one sleeping in peace and the other pondering.

And everything puzzled together for the foreign woman.

And determination filled her.

That night had come to a decision.

Under the same crescent moon held billions, trillions of others. Two men in particular were somewhat close to the previous sobbing woman, straying at the outskirts of Konohagakure, but high enough in the trees and mountains in order to scope out the village. But with a specific ninjutsu that was a special ability to Iwagakure, one of them was able to zero into the odd but intriguing woman.

"Akatsuki lost a tailed beast," the silver-haired man to the side mentioned, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he relied the newly gained information to his mentor. "It seems as if they're losing control of them."

Orochimaru's face didn't twitch as he continued to study the woman.

It was strange really. When it came to people who were infamous, recognized, notorious, legendary, or well-known they were usually decorated in bold colors, dressed in clothes that no other shinobi or civilian would own; in other words they had a signature outfit. But this woman was plain, ordinary: bland. There was nothing special about her at a simple glance. But with his continuous analyzing of her, Orochimaru could already pick out the special traits within her that those foolish leaf nins didn't.

"Who is that woman?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as she continued to sleep peacefully.

Kabuto turned to the general direction Orochimaru was facing. With a simple set of handseals, the man pinpointed the woman his mentor was staring at. "I don't know. She doesn't show up in my cards. Perhaps she's a civilian."

"Fool, she is anything but a civilian," Orochimaru hissed, the bridge of his nose wrinkling with irritation at his student's idiocracy. "She is the only person in this village that I can't sense. Her chakra…I can't feel it." And as the notorious sannin who had murdered the Sandaime of Konohagakure, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel vulnerable about it. She was completely void of any spiritual aura. There was nothing more frightening to any shinobi to have no awareness of their abilities and bloodlimit, it made one open for attack. If this woman was strong, a superb shinobi that is, she could surely be one of the rare shinobis to take him out.

The only way to prevent that was either take her, or kill her.

A sudden thought passed his mind, and that was when Orochimaru's eyes couldn't help but become bigger. "Is she-?" The usually collected and evil man was now leaning forward with eyes as wide as saucers as he studied the woman.

No wonder she didn't have chakra.

He laughed quietly, shaking his head when the thought he was mulling over could possible be true. After his journal had become hostage to the Hokage, Orochimaru didn't have anything to rely on with information and plausibility about the woman existence.

He supposed that that immortal Uchiha was alive. It was true then.

Nobody could have done this besides Uchiha Madara.

It was then when Kabuto noticed a blue rug at the woman's feet of the bed. He continued to stare at it until small details of the animal printed in his mind and made it recognizable. "Huh! The-the bijuu!"

The need to roll his eyes was great, but even then Orochimaru wouldn't do that. Of course, he had noticed the Nibi, the two-tails, who was also known as Matatbi. It was the one thing that brought his attention to the strange woman. "How many tailed beasts have they lost?"

"Apparently, the lost the two-tails. From what I've heard, they had lost control of the one-tail, too," Kanbuto informed.

When Orochimaru stayed silent, Kabuto continued, "The location of the one-tail is unknown. If you would like, I can send out a team to retrieve the tailed beast."

Orochimaru shook his head. "No, don't do that. I have a feeling I know where the beast would end up." An unknown look glazed in the sannin's eyes. It was an expression that even had his apprentice questioning for he did not know how to decipher that look. "Did you hear anything from Danzo?" A malicious grin embraced the expanse of his face.

"Yes," Kabuto answered, straightening from his hunched position when his back cried for relief. "Danzo-san mentioned about visiting within a two times week. He mentioned that his arm has been acting oddly for the last few weeks. The DNA of Senju Hashirama we had injected into his right arm is fighting against his immune system, making him exposed and helpless enough that a simple virus can kill him. Also, his arm has been going out of control. Danzo-san said the DNA has been expelling random wooden techniques out of nowhere. Wood and trees would sprout from his body-"

"Enough," Orochimaru ordered, sick and tired of hearing about the militant man's complaints. He turned away from watching the woman and looked at Kabuto. "We shall see him tonight. Perhaps, he would be able to give us some information about the woman."

"Will do." Kabuto bowed his head in submission.

His long, thin tongue came out and waggled in the air from excitement running through his veins. Orochimaru turned to Konohagakure and chuckled darkly.

"Hn-hn-hn, let's go pay a visit to Sasuke-kun."

As soon as the two slinked towards the village, it took about five minutes until a man melted from the tree. His bi-colored-self strode to the exact spot Orochimaru was standing and took a good look at the supposed woman that caught the man's interest.

A sharp-toothed grin was all that given. Before his two selves had a chance to converse about the missing bijuu and the woman, Zetsu melded with the ground and quickly transported to Akatsuki's base.

When he delivered his message to Leader, the man chuckled.

"How is she faring?"

Zetsu stood completely immobile as he answered, "She was sleeping when I saw her."

"**I never knew she existed because of her lack of chakra," **his other half answered.

"Hmmm, of course not." The Leader kept himself completely in the darkness, preventing anyone from catching a glimpse of his high self. "And you said Orochimaru and Kabuto was there, right?" At Zetsu's nod, the Leader felt himself stiffening. Even if Zetsu said they were more paying a visit to Sasuke, he did not feel comforted. If the snake and that pathetic worm dared near his experiment, he would be highly pissed.

"Who the hell is this broad?" Hidan brayed, picking his ear with his pinky as his hologram-self lounged upon an invisible couch. "Why the fuck is this twat so important?"

"Please attempt to refrain yourself from such vulgar words, Hidan." Kakuzu frowned in distaste of Hidan's portrayed hologram. He resisted himself from releasing a groan when Hidan's response to his scolding was the middle finger.

"Cease your childish antics, Hidan," Leader said.

"I'm just fucking wondering-"

Deidara sighed irritably. "Shut up, yeah. You're voice is getting annoying."

Hidan stood up from his invisible couch and made it seem as if he was going to stride over to Deidara's hologram. "Lookie here, you blond teen fag-"

"_JUST BECAUSE I BRUSH MY HAIR DOES NOT MAKE ME A FAG!"_

"ENOUGH!"

The other members of the Akatsuki merely stood there, waiting for further orders while the immature, juvenile ones stopped their bray. The Leader almost thought it was a mistake to bring these two back from the dead, well one of them that is. Zetsu collected the missing pieces of Hidan's body and stitched them back together once Kakuzu was revived. Deidara on the other hand was revived with a sacrifice as was told needed by none the other, Kabuto.

"Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame are to invade the barrier of Konohagakure and retrieve the woman." If anything, Leader did not want Orochimaru fucking up his plans, especially when he was positive the snake picked up on the woman's odd traits.

"And the bijuu?" Kisame questioned.

"If possible, go ahead and retrieve the bijuu while you're at it. If not, don't bother," he said. "I want you to be there within less than twenty-four hours. Any more, and there will be consequences. Understood?"

When the two nodded, Leader dismissed them. "And to the rest of you, be prepared."

Each Akatsuki member realized that the Leader wasn't going to expand on his last words. And one by one, their hologram dissipated into nothing, much like how quickly the woman was about to disappear from the Leaf's hands.

**SO MANY REVIEWS. OMFG I LOVE YOU GUYS X3**

THE PLAYERS ARE BACK IN THE GAME, WOOT WOOT. Out of all the Akatsuki members, Hidan has always been my favorite, haha. His potty mouth and brazen personality makes me laugh whenever he's present, looooolll. This chapter isn't as long as the ones before, but there was nothing more that I could think of adding. Just expect the next chapter to be longer and with much more action, mwahahahah ;D

There hasn't been any Kakashi and Chinatsu moments, but there will be (: I like taking things nice and slow to make it as believable as possible C: Get ready for Chinatsu learning some Japanese! 8DD

Honestly, this story is getting exciting to write and continue on. Not on that spurs me to continue writing more and more, but your lovely reviews :3 It makes me happy knowing I'm not the only one here enjoying this piece of work ;D

Any questions feel free to ask.

**summers revenge **_dizzydani666_ Nomatophobia **TalaxVampirella** _CannibalTofu _KitsuneNEh **Eternal Cat Moon** Aiko Tachibana

**Thomas Drovin **and **Emii – **Thank you so much for reviewing every chapter and giving your precious thoughts upon it. (:


	12. Whirlwind

**Chapter 12: Whirlwind **

Jiraiya's eye twitched.

The loud, obnoxious snoring coming from the woman slobbering all over the mahogany desk was a sight to sell. The famous Tsunade-hime was most likely drunk, which he was assuming from the innumerous rolling bottles of sake splayed out on the carpet of the office.

His droll expression was flat as he walked across the room, carefully avoiding the bottles as he drew closer. When he was finally standing right before the desk, he stared at the blond woman whose face was heavily flushed with red. "Tsunade-"

"Hyah!" Tsunade immediately awoken to his voice, reacting like the true sannin she was and threw a halfway empty bottle at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya merely blinked, feeling the alcohol running down his face and clothes like honey.

Golden eyes narrowed in his direction, blinking rapidly to concentrate on the blurry image before her. "Wau'sh ya doin'?" her slurred voice said. Tsunade rubbed her face harshly. "Jiraiya?"

"Same as always, Tsunade-hime," Jiraiya sighed. His hand snaked into the inside of his hamaka, bringing out a handkerchief to wipe off of the still dripping alcohol tickling his face. "Can't get enough of the sake, can you, Tsunade-hime? Always going and drinking till you drop." When his eyes looked up at her, he suddenly started howling in laughter from the written letters on her face from sleeping on most likely written, fresh-inked documents.

Tsunade growled at Jiraiya's foolishness and snapped, "Shut up!"

"There's ink on your face, hag!"

As Tsunade cleaned her face off delicately, Jiraiya was on the floor nursing a painful headbump.

"Why the hell are you here?" Tsunade glared at the man picking himself off the floor.

"Just visiting," Jiraiya groaned, hissing as he rubbed his bump. "I was thinking about dropping by Naruto and teach him a thing or two. And on top of that we haven't talked for quite a while now!"

Tsunade grunted, opening one of her drawers and drawing out a gambling card. "What makes you think I wanna talk to you?" Just before she was about to scratch out a box with a coin, she stopped and stared at him seriously. "Do you have…any information?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Nothing that'll serve any purpose."

His eyes strayed from the grumbling Hokage (who still had the faded letters on her cheek, which he refuse to mention) viciously scratching out boxes on her gambling card to the folder lying innocuously to the side. Jiraiya reached over and took the document, humming beneath his breath as he opened it.

A small napkin floated to the floor, forcing him to bend down on his old knees and pick it up. "What is this gibberish?"

Tsunade glanced to the side for a moment before continuing on her little game. "It's from that one girl I told you about, the foreign one. Ibiki interrogated her and that's what she wrote."

"Really?" When he glanced up, Jiraiya froze. He stared down at the napkin for a second, holding it up next to her face to glance from the little tissue paper to her face back and forth. "Hey…what were you reading before?"

The Gambling Failure was just about to scratch out her last box when Jiraiya spoke. She stared up at him, about to reel a new one in when she noticed the seriousness etched on his face. Her golden eyes studied the lines in his face for a while before turning her eyes to the small, leather-bound diary sitting upon her desk. Her red carefully painted manicures lightly skimmed the top of it before her fingers clenched into a fist.

Jiraiya took in Tsunade's obvious upset demeanor and took the responsibility upon himself. Slowly, as if fearing a snake would clasp around his wrist, Jiraiya reached for the leather-bound diary.

He pulled the book open, eyes constantly straying from the diary to the piece of paper, proving the theory running through his head.

"Who wrote this? The girl?"

Tsunade nodded. "What of it?"

"Look," he said, placing both items before the Hokage. "Look at this. She wrote this, right? It can only be her 'alphabet', one may say. But look at Orochimaru's diary. Why are the characters, each little squiggle so similar? The penmanship of hers and Orochimaru's are too similar to ignore."

Tsunade suddenly straightened in her chair, leaning forward to study the new development Jiraiya had made in less than ten minutes to his arrival to Konohagakure. Her eyes narrowed with concentration as she glanced back and forth between the two materials. The two documents had the same distinct writing. "Its…i-it's exactly the same!" It was astronomical that they had Orochimaru's diary. Not only that, but they had someone who could decipher his coded words.

"And that means, the girl will know what is written here." Jiraiya tapped the journal.

Though the female Hokage was somewhat comforted that they were one step closer to Orochimaru's malicious plans, she couldn't help but notice two things. "Why are the writing styles in this diary different. There are two…"

"Hm?" Jiriaya picked up the diary and swished through the pages. He stood silent, his lips thinning as he examined the new found information. "There are two owners to the journal?"

"There should be!" Tsunade exclaimed. "This was only obtained because it was the work of Orochimaru. There shouldn't be any other owner unless…"

"Orochimaru is most likely the one not to share, even if it is his loyal subordinate." Jiraiya sighed. There were multifarious tricky, devious questions to one solved solution. "And where is this girl?"

A crow cawed.

"Good bye."

"Guh-duh, bae."

"No, no, no, good_bye_."

"Goo-bee?"

Iruka shook his head, leaning forward slightly so that the woman could so how his mouth would shape around the specific sounds of the words. "Goodbye," he said, trying once more. His dark eyes watched as the woman scrunched her face in evident confusion and frustration.

"Good…bah-ee…" Chinatsu tried once again.

When the Ir-roo-kah teacher man thing smiled, she heaved a heavy sigh and leaned back in her chair.

Yesterday, she had somehow miraculously passed the message to Yamato how she wanted to study and learn the language. He was literally grinning from ear to ear when she was furiously pointing at his mouth and hers while pinching her hands in the air like a crab, puppeting her hands like people's mouths. Honestly, she had never seen a man get so excited besides the doctors cheering wildly in the hospital from the conclusion of the World Cup for soccer. Other than that, Yamato definitely topped everyone with his excitement for her actually _wanting_ to learn how to speak in his language.

Today, he had introduced her to Ir-roo-kah (a name she couldn't pronounce quite correctly yet), a teacher who managed to have time in his day to give her a few introductions.

Chinatsu never imagined the day she would learn Japanese. And she learned one thing…

It was so damn hard!

Ir-roo-kah handed her two charts of alphabets, which she was assuming. One was called 'hiragana' and the other 'katakana'. It sounded familiar, and she had a lingering thought of another alphabet system added to Japanese, but shrugged it off. She was solely going to concentrate on these two first.

For about three hours, Ir-roo-kah had gone over the katakana system, slowly pronouncing the characters, having her repeat them, and wrote it in a small notebook Yamato had bought for her. She had written how each character sounds in English, hoping that it'll help her learn faster.

With the learning of katakana, he taught her small phrases and words. Chinatsu learned useful words: water, food, hungry, sleepy, tired, bread, love, hair, man, woman, children, house, dog, cat, etc. The four phrases she learned was: hello, how are you, isn't the weather pleasant, and would you like tea. Chinatsu would've learned more if she had only gained more knowledgeable vocabulary. She was already struggling as is!

All this learning was exhausting!

It was like cram school, SAT/ACT class, and high school all over again.

"Alright, Chinatsu-san, we'll continue this tomorrow again, yes?" Iruka stood up, gathering papers that would be given to four, five-year-olds and handing it to her to learn from. "Remember to study this," he pointed to the papers and tapped on them. "Practice and study well, Chinatsu-san."

"_Um, thank you, Ir-roo-kah, I mean-!" _Chinatsu turned red as she mumbled, _"Ah-ree-gah-toe." _

"Thank you."

"Thay-kyoo?"

"Thank you."

"Thank kyuu."

Iruka chuckled and shook his head. "Meh, close enough." He headed towards the exit of the academy's building. "Yamato said he'd pick you up soon after he finishes his errands." Iruka looked around, not catching a drift of the wooden technique user.

"Iruka!"

Chinatsu ignored the additional woman talking to Ir-roo-kah and kept her eyes on the road for Yamato. When he didn't appear for the next ten minutes, she turned to the talking duo and tentatively spoke. _"Um, I'm gonna go walk to the house. I know where it is!" _When the confusion on his face appeared for too long, Chinatsu started walking. _"You know, walk, like…walk…"_

"Ah, Chinatsu-san!" Iruka started, but was stopped by a hand on his arm.

"Let the girl explore, Iruka," Anko said, watching as the girl waved before disappearing. "I heard she barely gets out anyways."

"But it's for her own good."

"Well, if she's going to stay within the village, I see no harm in her exploring. Besides, nothing'll happen to her, she's inside of the village."

Iruka couldn't help but worry.

Chinatsu glanced around, a small smile playing on her face as she hummed to a small melody her mother used to sing to her as a child. Walking around the…village wasn't as horrible as it was the first time. It was different, yes, but it was somewhat similar to back home.

She held the papers and notebook close to her chest, walking slower as she studied the difference between this world and her world.

It was obvious that everything was in Japanese. That much she knew, due to Akane's continuous loud verbal studying and splayed books around the living room. It was clear from the many different magical powers, that these people here had super powers somewhat similar to super heroes, but instead it came into elements. How lame was that? Pfft.

Chinatsu sighed, sliding a hand into her pocket when she felt her fingers brush up against something crinkly.

"Hm?" She pulled out money and blinked.

Oh, yeah! Yamato had given that to her. He said something like…slksdjf, ansldkie, dkxxiekd, and food.

Perhaps, he wanted her to purchase food, not that she was hungry at the moment.

Chinatsu pocketed the money and was about to continue walking when shelves of books caught her attention. She stared at it a couple of times before approaching it, entering the store with the thought of learning hitched up to a higher degree. She should buy a book and just practice reading it just to get the whole speaking part done and over with.

She nodded to the bookkeeper and browsed around the sections of books. But what caught her eye was a small orange book she recognized.

"_Ah, 'Ga-ga-ji' had this!" _she exclaimed, reaching forward and pulling it out of the shelf. She flipped through the pages with a pleasant face and nodded.

She was going to buy this book.

Knowing that 'Ga-ga-ji' was most likely a serious person, she would take this book and learn from it. Perhaps it was something about the historical facts of the village or a biography on someone's love life, which she was guessing from the man running away from the woman. Or perhaps…this was a love story?

Or was it about the human brain on the chemical reactions, which causes emotions, like this love-sick man?

Shrugging, Chinatsu walked to the cashier and handed him the book. She completely missed his reddening face, twitching eye, and unbelievable expression as she fished the money from her pocket. The money was supposedly a huge bill if the man was going through the trouble of fishing more than one bill out for her change.

She chirped a lazily accented thank you and made her way out. And just as she walked out of the store, she bumped into someone.

"_Ah, I'm sorry!" _Chinatsu pedaled back until she recognized the hair that defied gravity. _"Ga-ga-ji!"_

The one-eyed man held up a hand. "Yo."

A rush of emotions flowed through her veins along with an addition of adrenaline. Chinatsu hadn't seen this man in god knows how long. It was as if she was running into an old acquaintance, and old friend. And all he was doing was standing there, staring down at her.

Awkwardly, she shifted from foot to foot. _"Uh..." _The rustling bag caught his attention. _"Ah, look, what I bought!" _

When she whipped out her book and literally held it up to his nose, he blinked once.

"_Remember when you were at my house? When you were actually a ghost, well…that was quite a long time ago, but anyways, you were at my house and I saw this on the table when I saw a bit of your house, too! I thought how awesome it'll be if I can read this book, since you look like a well-respected man, and get a bit of your intellect and claim it as my own as I try and learn the language…" _And she continued blabbering on and on and on.

Kakashi watched as the animated woman pointed at the book, chatting her mouth off and held in a chuckle. This girl seriously did not change.

When he noticed Icha Icha Pardise in her hands, he didn't know what to do, nonetheless what to think. He had remembered when she had caught a slight glimpse of his home, but he didn't think she would remember that orange book in specific. He could only guess that she was going to try to learn Japanese from it, as what Yamato had informed him before shortly.

The wood technique user asked the copy-nin to escort Chinatsu home while he finished yet another report of her that required his immediate attention.

"Ah, you've found a book, hm?" he said, not going to bother and mention that that book wasn't for _normal_ people. But then again, she was anything but normal.

"Book?" Chinatsu caught the word from his sentence and repeated it, pointing at the orange book in her hand.

Kakashi nodded.

"Book…" Chinatsu repeated beneath her breath. "Book, book, book, book, book, book, book, book…"

"Where are you going, Chinatsu?" Kakashi asked as she was distractedly walking away while repeating 'book' under her breath more than once. It was creeping some of the civilians as they edged away from the mantra-speaking woman.

"Hm?" Chinatsu turned to Kakashi to see him following her. "Ah…h-home…eh, home Yamato…_or was it_ Yamato's home…?"

Kakashi walked next to her, unable to help himself and ruffled her hair. He caught her grumble foreign words as she softly swiped at his dodging hand. She glared at him and eyed his hair, which he caught immediately and stepped away as she tried to touch it.

"_Ah, 'Ga-ga-ji', let me touch your hair!" _Chinatsu started with a slow fast paced walk, which turned into a jog and into ultimately a run. She panted, stuffing her notebook and important papers from Ir-roo-kah into the plastic bag holding the orange book and started after 'Ga-ga-ji'. But no matter how fast she ran and the tricks she pulled from her sleeve, she couldn't catch him.

"_Ahhh, why are you so hard to catch?" _She breathed heavily, leaning forward to catch her breath. Chinatsu was a fool to even think she could catch the man.

When she leaned away from the tree she was leaning against, her brown eyes caught the familiar neighborhood.

Holy crap, did she really run from the marketplace all the way back to Yamato's home? Normally, Chinatsu wouldn't believe it but the sweat running down her face told her it was true.

Kakashi walked next to Chinatsu and was about to ruffle her hair before reporting back to his students until she turned to look at him. As a man, he had never found the glory of woman in their sweat. It wasn't something pleasant. It wasn't something he looked forward to in a woman like Genma. But those thoughts didn't even enter his mind as he gazed down at Chinatsu.

The woman donned a white v-neck shirt, which was cuffed a little shorter than usual from the arms. A beige pair of shorts helped the woman ease into the hot weather today. Her messy, brown hair had been tied up, some strands clinging to her perspiring face. But that wasn't what exactly caught the copy-nin's attention. Her cheeks glowed with vitality, eyes gleaming with mischief. Sweat trickled down her face, traveling down the length of her neck and through the valley of her heaving breasts.

It took all the power he could conceive in order to prevent his eye from following that mischievous bead of sweat down her shirt.

Chinatsu nervously wound a hand at the back of her neck, rubbing it as 'Ga-ga-ji' continued to stare at her. She cleared her throat, shifting her eyes from side to side. Sure, she felt like a mess. Her bird nest of a hair was probably what caught his attention. Not only that, but also the fact that she did not sweat like a goddess as super models probably did. She was certainly sweating in buckets.

"Um, goodbye," she said, quickly turning away and walking into the house.

Chinatsu didn't look back at him; she dared not to since she still felt the heaviness of his gaze on her.

She clumsily bent down and retrieved a key in a pot, an idea she introduced to Yamato. Chinatsu rubbed a hand against her perspiring cheek, closing the door behind her before leaning on it.

Jesus Christ, her heart was beating madly.

The heat of her cheeks warmed. As much as she'd like to think that it was because of the running, Chinatsu knew it wasn't the truth.

It was his eye that brought out this awkwardness in her. It was smoldering in something…in something that should only exist in smutty romance novels little old grandmas delve themselves in. She didn't know how to decipher it. Chinatsu wasn't really a woman with experience in men. If anything, she had the well-known knowledge of the men's anatomy, but other than that they were a completely set of different species.

Shaking her head, Chinatsu pushed herself away from the door and walked to the living room.

"Yamato!" she called out, moving around the house in search for the man.

When she realized he wasn't home, she shrugged and went to the kitchen. As she cut out three apples and filled up a cool glass of water, Chinatsu turned to the book bag she placed on the table and decided to study some more.

She opened the spring door leading to the backyard and decided to study out here. The weather was pretty beautiful here. Not as beautiful as her homeland, but beautiful nonetheless.

Chinatsu pulled out a low plastic table and placed her books, apples, and water on it, and sat on the grass.

"Ka, ki, ku, ke, ko," she recited slowly. She was pronouncing each syllable as she sloppily wrote the characters. "Ma, mi, mu, me, mo. Sa, shi, su, se, so. Ah, ee, oo, eh, oh."

As she repeatedly wrote each character, she felt the familiar bump of another warm body against her. Chinatsu reached out with her left hand, still writing and studying as she petted Kitty.

The blue cat cried for attention, but didn't receive it.

"_Kitty, stop, I need to study,"_ Chinatsu growled in annoyance as the cat splayed itself over her paperwork.

The cat merely pawed in the air, rolling onto it's back and wiggling about.

"You're gonna break the table, you fat cat."

Kitty ignored her.

A heavy sigh escaped from her lips. And just as she was about to spoil the cat like the slave she was, Kitty quickly jumped up from its rather playful position and sat on the table, staring at a fence with fierce attention.

Chinatsu blinked at the cat's odd actions. From the first day she had known Kitty, she knew the cat was literally a blob. The mutant two-tailed cat loved stealing her sashimi, crying for belly rubs, and playing with the daisies in the backyard. But watching the cat eerily sitting on the small plastic table and watching the border of the white fence with an odd aura made Chinatsu's body tremor.

Just as she was about to pet the cat, a small figure made it's way over the fence.

Startled, Chinatsu could only watch as the beige, black-stripped animal made its way to Kitty.

"Shoo, go away, shoo," Chinatsu said, swishing her hand back and forth at the animal that was making her mutant cat act this way. She didn't want to have a huge animal fight at the midst of her study.

The raccoon-like animal turned to stare at her with intelligence gleaming in its eyes before it did the one thing that caught her off guard.

"Matatabi, you have to be kidding me," the raccoon whined. "She can't be the one! She can't!"

"_What the fuck?" _Chinatsu screeched, scrambling back as the talking animal turned to her.

Sure, she knew this was a magical world, but speaking animals was beyond comprehension!

The blue cat swished its two tails, turning away from the raccoon. "You don't believe it?"

Shukaku frowned, sitting on its hind legs as he watched the woman gaping rather stupidly before him. "Look at the woman. Look at her! Sheesh, she's in shock already. How in the world can she have control over us? She can't be the one! She can't!"

The cat gave the raccoon a rather spiteful glare. "You question my intellect, Shukaku? You should know that I would never fall beneath a human."

"Yet you did with her."

Matatabi hopped off the white table, ignoring the stunned woman as he sat before the raccoon. "Yes, I do. She's different, but she's the same." Just when Shukaku was about to counter Matatabi's words, the cat hissed in irritation. "Do you have it?"

The raccoon glanced at the still wide-eyed woman and gave off a strangled sound. "I hope you're right, Matatabi, because if you're not, I'd hate to be under the wrong power, again, goddammit. I already had enough with that sand brat." With those words the raccoon stood stock still before a blue necklace was summoned in its hands. Shukaku turned to the woman and walked towards her with the necklace in its hand. "Here, woman, take it."

Chinatsu stared at the two animals turned towards her. Instead of even glancing at the glowing jewelry, she turned towards Kitty. _"What the hell is going on?" _

Shukaku stiffened at her voice. "She doesn't speak Japanese? Does she even have a tongue at all?"

Matatabi sighed, tails swishing. "She's a rather…special one."

"Retarded, you mean," Shukaku spat, glaring at the woman. "Just take this! Take it! " He threw it at her.

Chinatsu cried out when the pointy, hard jewelry smacked her painfully in the face. _"What the fuck was that for, you pest?"_ she snarled, standing up on her feet in Akane-mode. Her hand patted the grass for the thrown object. _"Take these, you piece of crap!" _

Shukaku laughed giddily, bouncing from place to place like the madman-minded demon he was. "She's funny, she's funny! But she'd be even more hilarious with blood all over her!"

Matatabi's fur spiked at the spoken words. "Leave!"

"Okay, okay, sheesh, you spikeball." Shukaku eyed the furious woman. "Lemme just get a bite."

Chinatsu backpedalled when the rabid raccoon jumped off of the plastic table and zoomed straight at her. In defense, she threw up her hand to try and ward the animal.

A painful bite on her middle finger made her scream bloody murder.

Shukaku barely dodged a swing of an arm before he bounced off of the woman's chest, causing her to fly back to the ground as he giggled madly. "You're right, you're right!" was what he crowed a couple of times.

"Leave!" Matatabi hissed.

The sand raccoon paused in the midst of his bouncing, pouting as the two-tailed cat released a low sound thrumming in his chest, much like an ordinary cat would do in warning off danger or just in pure annoyance.

"Fine, fine. I'll be around."

Once the annoying pest was gone, Matatabi turned to the woman waving her bleeding finger in the air like the mad woman she was.

"_Awww, my finger!" _Chinatsu quickly stood up and went into the kitchen, washing it deeply and thoroughly just in case that rabid animal had rabies. After she inspected it with the nursing skills she thought were lost and gone, Chinatsu went to the bathroom and pressed the toilet paper hard against her fingers, watching as it welled in blood.

The bite wasn't deep. It was a very shallow cut, shallow but wide.

"_What is it with animals biting me?" _Chinatsu complained, wrapping the long toilet paper around her finger till she made a mini-cast. She rolled her eyes, went into the kitchen and scavenged for some tape.

Once she found it, she wound it around the mini-cast she created and left it at that.

Chinatsu went back to the backyard and peered around for the crazy raccoon and Kitty. None were in sight. The talking animals were long and gone.

A glint of blue caught her eye.

"Hm?" Chinatsu walked towards it, bending down quickly and retrieving it once she recognized the jewelry.

It was her necklace! The necklace that was created at that fair she and Akane had gone to.

Chinatsu couldn't help but press the cool, but dirty, jewel up on her face, smiling foolishly as a small piece of home followed her through insanity.

Since the talking animals disappeared, Chinatsu sat there (back into her original seat of the day) for the next fifteen minutes in deep thought, toying with the jewelry with her fingers. She supposed that watching dead people rise from the earth itself wouldn't be a surprise to the people of this world. Her hands were shaking from the experience of watching two animals converse as she tied the necklace back around her neck; giving it a small kiss. How it had gotten here, she didn't know. Perhaps, she dropped it on her first day in this world.

"Ta, chi, tsu, te, to. Ra, ri, ru, re, ro," Chinatsu continued in her trance, suppressing the shock within herself to try and move forward like she had originally planned.

But that was all thrown out the window when a shadow fell over her.

"Ha, hi, fu, he…ho?" Chinatsu squinted up at the two figures looming over her. She covered her eyes, trying to block the sun from preventing her to recognize the two men.

From time to time, men in masks would drop by randomly inside of the house, knocking on the door, poofing in the middle of the living room, or even appearing in the backyard. Normally they were always there to chat and talk to Yamato, but when they came near her, she can only assume that they would rely on her to deliver a message or ask for Yamato's presence. So, these two men arrival didn't catch her completely off-guard.

"H-hello," she greeted.

The odd looking blue-skinned man smiled, revealing razor sharp teeth that resembled a shark's mouth. "She's practicing katakana, now is she?"

"Yes, katakana," Chinatsu chirped. Her brown eyes eyed at their black trench coats decorated with red clouds and cocked her head. "Ehhh…you, uh, Yamato, you want?"

The other man didn't reply to anything. He stood there staring at her with those creepy red eyes of his that reminded her of Sasuke. Chinatsu shivered and turned away, brainstorming quickly while the blue fish man talked to the other man, for more phrases she had learned from Ir-roo-kah that might benefit the situation. Might as well practice while they wait for Yamato, no? "How are you? Isn't the weather pleasant?"

Kisame blinked. Sure, there were moments where when he was assigned missions, it would be a pain on the crack of the ass, especially when dealing with people since they were so adamant on running away or pleading for their miserable lives. He did not expect the woman they were to capture to ask about the weather.

"W-would you like tea?" Chinatsu nodded, smiling brightly despite the heavy aura.

It was no secret that the people in this world still made her nervous, but she tried her best to press those issues away and tried to adapt.

When she nodded and stood from her place, the blue-skinned man grabbed her upper arm.

"Alright, girly, let's get a move on. You're coming with us." Kisame was about to apply more pressure onto her arm in warning, when Akatsuki's target smiled obliviously. She slipped her arm out of his hold and grabbed his rock-hard calloused hand to drag him into the house. The woman waved at Itachi to come follow, too.

Kisame swore there was a flower growing out of her head.

Itachi's eyes narrowed when he took notice when the woman didn't fall at a faint. His Sharingan wasn't working on her.

Not only that, but Kisame's sword should've already sucked the woman's chakra as planned.

All of their plans were backfired. Itachi even silently attempted to transport the three of them to a different location, but it seemed like his jutsus were blocked. He had arrived with the teleportation jutsu just a few feet away from the house, but it seemed like he couldn't in the presence of the woman. And it only left one plan that was held off to the end in order to avoid

"Chinatsu!"

Chinatsu turned to the yell of her voice and a grin worked its way to her face. "Yamato! _These men wanted to see you! I think they wanted to meet with you…wait… of course, they do, why else would they be here._"

The footstep she was supposed to take towards Yamato was put at a halt. Chinatsu blinked at the man who was now gripping her hand as if it was made out of steel. She had ignored the blue man's mini fish eyes, obvious gills and shark teeth, thinking that it was a mutation of some sort, or maybe it was normal because this world was too magical to ignore. But now she couldn't help but feel fear running up her spine. "You…y-you want…tea?" she asked meekly.

"Let her go," Yamato narrowed his eyes, slowly moving his limbs so that he was in a stance to attack if necessary.

Kisame smiled at the man. "Now why would we do that?"

"Yamato?" Chinatsu called out quietly, fearing that these men were dangerous.

The expression on Yamato's face told her that these two were people recognizable, in a bad way.

Chinatsu pulled at her hand, hoping that she would somehow miraculously loosen out of the man's grip, but it only tightened. She cried out when she was suddenly heaved over Kisame's shoulder.

"Take the girl. Leave the wood technique user to me," Itachi stated, his eyes already swirling onto the next level of the Sharingan.

"Chinatsu!"

Kisame grunted in reply and jumped.

"Yamato!"

Chinatsu instinctively grabbed onto the man's shoulder, holding her balance steady so that her face wouldn't meet the ground. With each jump, the man's shoulder jutted into her stomach. If this continued anymore, she was positive that her lunch was going to hurl all over the man's nice black trench coat. But that shouldn't be the case, should it now?

"_Help! Someone help me!" _Chinatsu screamed.

The fish man jostled her harshly, but continued running.

Chinatsu didn't move in fear of pain. She clutched at the man's shoulder, panicking as random thoughts jumbled within her mind. _"Help…" _she whispered, finding that her whole body was utterly numb.

Was this the end for her?

Was this how Chinatsu was going to be living in this world? In fear, in pain, and in anxiety?

A deep breath was taken in, and soon enough the loudest, high-pitch scream echoed beyond the beyond. She didn't stop screaming, keeping her eyes tightly clenched and mouth wide open, while the man carrying her stumbled in shock. When he had come to a stop, Chinatsu fought. She continued screaming, scratching at his face as she tried to jump off his iron-like hold.

She didn't feel it until she found her body on the ground. Her cheek throbbed, burning madly from the heavy slap to the face it just greeted. Chinatsu weakly pushed herself off the ground when the man grabbed her by the arm.

"Next time you scream, I'll cut your mouth wide open," Kisame threatened. He was pissed off. Here he was, thinking that this mission would be easier than most. But nope, the bitch screamed and he was sure as hell that more than one person has noticed the 'I'm-dying-save-me' siren. He didn't have a rope or anything to tape her mouth. What the hell was it with this woman and her weird nonexistent chakra?

And what's worse was that he could feel Orochimaru's chakra signature moving quickly towards his direction. "Fuck," he cursed, swinging up the woman on his shoulder and breaking off the chakra barrier that hid his presence, using all he had to get the hell out of Konohagakure.

Chinatsu sobbed, holding a hand to her reddening cheek as the man continued to run.

She was completely useless. There was nothing she could do. She had done what she able to, but that was it. The fright growing within her thwarted any thought of defiance. A whimper escaped from her lips, teary eyes searching around her for anyone, just anyone for help.

But they were nowhere recognizable. Chinatsu saw an empty dirt road with a few abandoned buildings on the side.

When her eyes noticed a small red and white fan on one of the buildings, she immediately thought of Sasuke.

Kisame froze in his run, muscles tensing as he realized he was too late. This battle couldn't be avoided. He turned, dropping the woman to his feet and greeted the snake-sannin. "Orochimaru…"

Orochimaru chuckled. "You've seemed to catch up to my plans, Kisame."

"You should be aware that nothing escapes Leader-sama's eyes," Kisame said, heaving the Samehada over his shoulder. "You won't be getting the girl, Orochimaru. Not now, not ever."

"And how will you know that, when you'll be too busy to defend both you and the woman?"

As soon as those words came from his lips, Kabuto slid from behind Orochimaru. His glasses glinted, reflecting the sunlight. "Kisame-san," the white-haired man greeted. His eyes slid to the woman on the floor, arching an eyebrow. "It seems as if the treatment of the woman doesn't matter at all to your Leader, does it?"

Chinatsu slowly picked herself up, letting out little sounds of whimpers and grunts as pain racked her body. Brown orbs slid to the two men across from her. This time she didn't cry for help.

Anybody could be friend or foe, and she had no way to distinguish the two.

So she'd just have to consign everyone was a foe in order to stay alive and safe.

The woman picked herself up to her knees, trying to drag herself off of the dirt road and away from the men. Her hair was furiously grabbed at, wrapped around the blue-skinned man's knuckles. She clawed at his hand, yelling and kicking out.

"You even think about escaping and you'll end up in another whole level of pain," Kisame started, bringing her face up close to his. "Got it?"

"_Let me go, leave me alone!" _Chinatsu twisted her body.

Kisame scoffed and threw her off to the side. "Let's get this on so I can already report my completed mission." It was no concern of his when the woman's body stilled.

"It's not completed until you return with her." Orochimaru's tongue waggled in Kisame's direction, laughing hysterically when the fish man grimaced in disgust.

Chinatsu blacked out for a second or two. Light and sounds harassed her senses. There were colorful bubbles in her vision, obscuring the sharp shapes and lines of pictures. As soon as the hazy and distorted figures cleared up, Chinatsu finally recognized where she was.

It was like she watching a movie.

Her smoky eyes took in the figures jumping in the air, swords clashing against one another in agony, clones duplicated and disappeared, water was repelled by wind and fire, snakes were cut in half, sharks were summoned. It was endless. When a man wearing glasses came near, she merely watched him, unable to command her body to move. His hands came to her neck, two fingers pressed up against her pulse as he checked the dilation of her eyes.

He had some medical experience.

Chinatsu moved her lips as if to talk, but simply sighed.

Kabuto smirked at the fallen woman who was in a deep stupor of shock. "I guess this will be easier than it seemed to be."

But it wasn't. His head jerked to the side, body held still as he sensed a fast approaching chakra. He sighed, troubled by the man. "I suppose Itachi-kun does want to complete his mission."

There wasn't a moment of fight within her. Chinatsu allowed the man to pick her up like a bride on her wedding day. He pressed her up against his chest and ran from the fight between the snake and shark.

Chinatsu's eyes closed, head lolling on the man's upper arm. The image of Yamato's creepy face brought a delirious smile on her face. Yamato…was he alright? Did he eat the slices of bananas and apples she left on the counter for him or did he forget? The man hated fruits with a passion, she didn't know why. It was as if he was solely a carnivore. As a circus/assassin, he needed his fruits and veggies. He did!

"_Eat…your apple." _

Kabuto ignored the woman's nonsensical mumbling and continued onwards. He tried to look for an exit, an escape, but there was none. Sadly, two men guarded the only exit around here. Now that the village was quite aware with the kidnapping of the woman (which was obvious because of the trespassing and the large snake summon of Orochimaru), Kabuto was forced to go through the village gates as how he was: a spy of Orochimaru. It would be tough, yes, but with the addition of having the traitor, the man who slaughtered the Uchiha clan along with him, and then maybe just perhaps he would be able to slip on by without a trace.

This woman was weird. She didn't have chakra, and none of his jutsus worked on her. When he attempted to put her into a deep sleep, the woman didn't respond to it.

It brought the curious medical nin within him out.

There was no chance for him to think upon it when he entered the training area for genins. Jounins yelled in surprise of his entrance, and the genins quickly avoided his quick feet. There had been challenges from a few jounins who tried to save the woman, but Kabuto only shot out poisonous senbons at them to keep them off.

Just when he thought he was good to go, a frightening roar bellowed.

Matatabi grew to a titanic size, towering over the trees. The bijuu refused to grow any bigger for the village would surely make an attack at the 'threat'. A blue paw slammed against the ground, and blue flames erupted from it, spiking towards the spy in a straight, deadly line.

Kabuto jumped from the ground and landed on the branch, smirking at the two-tails roared incoherently, like the beast it was.

"Why isn't this interesting-"

"Wheeeee!" Shukaku, in his miniature form, swung from the branch behind Kabuto and smacked into his back, sending the man into the ground. "Die, die, die, die!"

"Be careful with the woman, you fool!" Matatabi yowled.

Chinatsu was shaken out of her trance from the blow of the ground. She yelped, rolling onto her side as her whole shoulder flamed in white pain. She blinked rapidly, clearing her vision and saw Kitty chasing the white-haired man who was carrying her. She then saw the raccoon that bit the shit out of her finger giggling like the Mad Hatter itself.

She dragged herself across the floor slowly, leaning against a tree as she watched the fight.

Everything hurt. Everything.

The nurse in her was dispelled from the amount of pain wracking her body. Chinatsu breathed in deeply, hoping to gain some stability within her mind before she went into a panic attack. Her hand came up and massaged her shoulder, but soon came to a stop when the agony became too great.

"Hey, hey, you should run!"

Her brown eyes looked down at the beige, black-patterned raccoon in front of her.

"Run, run, run as fast as you can! You can't catch me! Run, run, run!" Shukaku sniggered, pressing his body up against hers. "Run, run, run!" His small paws pushed at her body.

"R..rah-n?" Chinatsu repeated.

"Run!"

"Run…" Chinatsu picked herself off of the ground. She glanced back at a gigantic sized Kitty who was shooting blue flames out of its mouth and to the man jumping around like an ant.

Turning away from the fight, Chinatsu limped away. She held her arm against her side, putting all her weight onto her left leg as her right ankle was screaming in pain. Dirt and sweat clung to her skin like clay. At the moment, there was nothing she could do but run.

"Yamato,"she called out softly, picking up her pace.

There was no answer.

"Yamato!" Chinatsu ran fast, ignoring the pain on her ankle. "Yamato! Yamato!"

Suddenly, the man with red eyes was everywhere. There were multiple clones of the man docked in the black trench coat with crimson clouds around her. Chinatsu nervously turned around, trying to find an exit, but there was none. She was surrounded.

Her heart started beating madly, adrenaline rushing through her veins as she called out once more for help.

"_GA-GA-JI!" _

Kakashi, who was looking around madly for Chinatsu, heard a cry so loud and desperate that it couldn't be ignored. He pushed up his forehead protector and dashed through the streets, jumping upon the roofs of houses and stores in an effort to get to that cry faster. He streaked across the ground of the training area, barely dodging a blue fireball from the two-tails.

His eyes widened at the image of the bijuu. What was this madness?

Matatabi turned to the copy-nin, hissing at his stunned body. "Get the woman! She's over there!" the nibi ordered before turning to Kabuto.

The duo-eyed man forcibly turned away from the fight, hoping that today was not a planned apocalypse as he searched for the woman. It was then when his eyes zoomed into the scene of a woman's body thrown to the side, did Kakashi realize it was Chinatsu.

"Chinatsu!"

Chinatsu coughed up blood. She grimaced, holding a hand to her bruised stomach. Pants and wheezes were heard, and strangely it was coming from her.

This was a dream, it had to be, cause it felt like it.

A hazy fog wrapped around Chinatsu, promising the comfort of darkness. It was a pleasant thought. A thought so pleasant that her eyes fluttered shut willingly. Her body slackened. Grass prickled at her bruised, bloody skin, soaking up the vitality that made her heart beat. The blood rushing through her veins was now sluggish, refusing to quicken with the lack of blood her body had. A soft sigh came from her lips.

But before she slid into the blankets of shadows, a worried-face Ga-ga-ji was looking down at her.

The woman didn't realize her eyes were open.

Kakashi glared at Itachi, holding a bloody Chinatsu to his body.

_Shinobi Rule: A shinobi must never show attachment. _

"Hello, Kakashi-kun," the ring of Itachis greeted.

Kakashi didn't reply. He merely held the woman to him harder. Kakashi felt Chinatsu holding onto his arm, but did nothing to show that he could feel it.

There were two options to this scenery:

Fight Itachi or run with Chinatsu.

His heart, which had been so carefully guarded, was screaming at him to run with her, but his brain demanded he fight.

Producing a bunshin, Kakashi passed off the battered woman to his clone, never removing his eyes from Itachi's stilled forms.

"If you believe you'll be able to escape from the area with the woman, Kakashi-kun, you're sadly mistaken," Itachi said.

Kakashi's hands went into a flurry of motions. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Soon enough, there were more than enough Kakashi's with a duplicate of Chinatsu in each clone's arms. Might as well take the advantage of her nonexistent chakra and take her to someone who might be able to watch her carefully, perhaps it would be Gai (whom he sadly trusted most) since everyone is busy defending the village from Orochimaru's summon.

In a quick motion, all the duplicates of the copy-nin leapt in the air.

It was a warzone. As grey smoke greeted the air with multiple vanishing Kakashis, Itachi was flying through the arena, throwing kunai after kunai, shuriken after shuriken, to find the true form of the woman. It irked Itachi that he couldn't feel the woman's chakra. It placed him in a vulnerable position.

From his peripheral vision, he saw the last clone escape with the woman.

Kakashi landed in front of Itachi. "Raiju Hashiri no Jutsu!"

Clone Kakashi was on the tips of his toes, jumping and dodging attacks from droves of Itachis and a single Kabuto, including off shot attacks from the Nibi. His eyes from time to time glanced down at Chinatsu, noticing that she was in a half-awake state, eyes fluttering from time to time, but brain most likely not deciphering what was happening. "Chinatsu, I need you to stay awake," he demanded once his nose caught a whiff of copper. Blood was streaming down her temple.

She couldn't understand what was going on. All she saw were pictures as her mother's humming a baby lullaby echoed in the background of the movie-like experience.

_Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu / **Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu**_

Kakashi's eyes were two-colored. She never noticed that. She's never seen him pull up that weird metallic bandana thing. Both eyes showed more emotions than one would. A crease between his brows would deepen when his eyes narrowed. Wrinkles would form like mountains over the bridge of his masked nose when angered. A vein popped from his temple. Where his face was with no emotion, his eyes were with.

_Ashita tenki ni shite o-kure / **Do make tomorrow a sunny day**_

Chinatsu's dulled eyes watched as he placed her on the ground and fought with the glassed man. Kitty was on the floor, fighting off multiple men and women trying to seal the mutant cat off.

_Itsuka no yume no sora no yo ni / **Like the sky in a dream sometime**_

The white-haired man cut off all the sight.

_Haretara kin no suzu ageyo / **If it's sunny I'll give you a golden bell**_

Kabuto smirked, quickly turning to glance over his shoulder to see that everyone was busy. Konoha nin had finally gotten the idea that most of the battle was over in the training area. Leaf nins were attempting to seal the mighty Nibi, and others went to help Kakashi with Itachi. Kakashi's bunshin was still actively fighting with Kabuto's bunshin, the copy-nin hadn't noticed he replicated since the beginning of the invasion.

_Teru-teru-bozu, teru-bozu / **Teru-teru-bozu, teru-bozu**_

Both Akatsuki and Orochimaru would be forced to retreat, but surely not without a parting gift.

_Ashita tenki ni shite o-kure / **Do make tomorrow a sunny day**_

Kabuto turned back to the half-dazed woman. With a glowing hand of chakra, Kabuto turned the woman onto her stomach and touched the vital part of the functioning human body, the spine.

_Watashi no negai wo kiita nara_ _/ __**If you make my wish come true**_

Nothing had happened, as expected.

_Amai o-sake wo tanto nomasho / **We'll drink lots of sake**_

A blue glint caught Kabuto's eyes. "Heh! Isn't this Tsunade's…." He picked up the necklace around the woman's neck with his glowing hand and soon enough the chakra was sucked away from him, spiraling and following the strand of necklace till it was glowing a multiple color of viridian, sapphire, crimson, and gold. Kabuto's eyes widened at the alien of this jewelry and tried to hurdle away, but his hand wouldn't obey. The necklace coiled around his wrist and hand. By then, it was too late.

_Sore de mo kumotte naitetara / **But if it's cloudy and I find you crying** _

A huge explosion was heard from the training area by all of Konohagakure.

_Sonata no kubi wo chon to kiru zo /** Then I shall snip your head off**_

**A very very long chapter for you guys C: I needed to run away from reality for a while, that's why there's not only a long update, but also a new story x))**

"Kisame swore there was a flower growing out of her head." When I read manga and the character has a flower drawn on the head, it's like meaning the person is happily oblivious and empty-headed or something, haha. xD I had to use it C:

A little romance with Kakashi is here ;D

I kept trying to find cute Japanese nursery rhymes or lullabies, but the ones I found were pretty weird ._. So I stuck with this one, though it's a little scary, haha. I'm not sure what it even means, but it did well with the ending of the chapter C:

THANK YOU MY REVIEWERS; I'VE FINALLY HIT 100 REVIEWS X3

**Katara Melody Cullen** Undertaker's Hattress _CannibalTofu_ **RustyHooker** Radioactive-Pingu _Tomas Drovin_ **Eclipsewings** Anime Hottie Lovah _Voxytoo_ **KitsuneNEh** Nomatophobia _Eternal Cat Moon_ **summers revenge** Aiko Tachibana _dizzydani666_

**Emii – **You'll find out soon enough! (:


	13. Name

**Chapter 13: Name**

She had never felt anything like this before. It was as if a third eye was opening, her sixth sense was breathing, and her blood was singing. The sensation was overwhelming, mentally, spiritually, and physically. There was immense pain. Pain licked all over her body like a greedy child with candy. White flames of agony jumped, skipped, and jeered with joy along her limbs, kissing every single line and inch of skin that existed. An implosion of light centered from her body, reaching outwards to the skies.

Chinatsu heard someone screaming. It wasn't scream; it was too despairing, too raw. It seemed better to be defined as a heart-wrenching, soul-gutting screech, much like what would come out of a banshee's mouth.

She never realized it was coming from her.

The next couple of moments were odd moments. Chinatsu knew she was acting in the moments, but it felt like a whirl of movie films.

An overhead view of the fight was seen.

Kitty was yowling, tied down by the people surrounding the two-tailed cat.

People were looking up at her, screaming.

Leaves were bustling in her view, blocking her from sight.

Wood coiled up from the earth's floor.

Something wrapped around her.

Then, there was darkness. Comforting darkness.

Time was endless. Chinatsu didn't know what it was, what there was, what existed; all she knew was that she was there, and just there. Her senses were blocked, dulled. Nothing could be heard, seen, touched, or smelled. It was as if she was floating, floating in space where gravity ceased to exist. Where there was pain, there was nothing. The consciousness would be compared to a sleeping babe, rocking in the mother's arms. Small body pressed up against her bosom in a sense of security and safety.

It was endless, and suddenly, it was gone.

Like a bubble popping, Chinatsu's eyes opened.

It was dark, damp, and musty. She was curled up in a fetal position, knees literally touching to her chin. Chinatsu groaned. Her muscles were stiff, crying for movement. And when she granted it to them, they cheered in joy by constantly twitching and flexing. Chinatsu groaned, slowly moving. Why was her body so tightly bound? Where was she?

By the time she was sitting up, Chinatsu rubbed her eyes. She winced when dirt had entered the eyes. _"What…what is this?" _

The darkness was too thick and deep to be seen through. Her arm reached out to try and touch something, but she couldn't reach anything. Gritting her teeth, she moved further until her face bumped into something.

"_Ow!" _Chinatsu cried, holding her throbbing nose.

And just with that small amount of pain, she remembered everything.

Her body stilled, as did her heart. Chinatsu breathed very quietly. Fear thrummed through her veins, quickening her breathing, and the pace of her heart. She fisted the earth's soil, clenching them hard in an effort to try and catch her sanity. It wasn't hard. Just stay quiet and you'll live.

As quietly as she can, Chinatsu slid across the ground until her arm skimmed something. She patted it lightly, recognizing it as a grooved wall of some sort. Her fingertips felt around the edges, and soon enough she was standing and walking along the grooved wall.

She must've been walking in continuous circles, because she couldn't feel an exit from this thing.

Frustrated, Chinatsu smack the wall with the back of her hand. She yelped, waving her hand around in pain, missing the sudden crack on the wall that exploded with light.

"_What in the world?" _Chinatsu crowed, waving her hand in front of the light.

Delving her fingers into the crack, she pulled and watched as the wall crumbled away easily, like dough. Within a small amount of time, she was already crawling out of the darkness and into the blinding light.

Her eyes squinted close, unable to take in such brightness. Chinatsu's eyes fluttered, opening up slowly and even leaking tears from the power of the light. She rubbed her eyes fiercely, trying to make her teary orbs adjust to the sudden difference when she heard screaming and yelling. When she had opened her eyes and magically managed the ability to see, her dirt-covered arms were the first things she noticed. Chinatsu glanced behind her shoulder only to have chocolate-colored eyes widened in amazement and shock to see that she had just crawled out of a crevice from a gargantuan tree that could've, should've belonged to a sycamore forest.

"Chinatsu-san, there is a warrant for your arrest ordered by the Godaime, Hokage of Konohagakure. If you struggle and fight, we will be obliged to use force in order to contain…"

As the masked man continued to talk, Chinatsu looked around her in amazement. There had to be over twenty people surrounding her.

What was going on?

"_What's going on?" _she asked. And when she had spoken, it caught all the masked people around her off-guard and they immediately crouched into a fighting stance.

Chinatsu blinked at them in surprise. It was then when she noticed them holding up similar Japanese sword katanas her own mother had, did she sadly recognize that she was back to becoming a threat to these people. She slowly raised her hands up in meek surrender, her brows coming up in worry from their hostile reactions.

"I…_uhm, I don't know what happened, but…eh—_Yamato, me 'nd Yamato…together…." She smiled worriedly, but was cut off quickly.

"Get on the ground now!"

Slowly, as not make any fast movements seem like a threat, Chinatsu lowered herself to the ground by kneeling first. She didn't have enough time before someone tackled her from the back.

She yelped when her face rubbed against the floor harshly, as the person above was none too lenient on her. She cried out when her arms were wrenched behind her back.

"Tie her hands!"

"And make sure you put the chakra seals on."

"_Hey, hey, I'm not in trouble, am I? What happened? Where's Yamato? Can I talk to him? What are you…?" _Her voice weakened immensely suddenly. The strength within her sapped from her bones as if there were leaches all over her. Chinatsu slumped against the ground, limp as one of the masked men picked her up like a bag of rice. _"Wh…wh-uh…." _The pink petal lips of her mouth were just as numb as her body.

Despite the deadened sensation along her body, it did not keep her heart immobile.

Her breathing picked up with her heartbeat. Chinatsu mentally cried out for help, desperate for someone to get her out of the situation that had befallen upon her.

Why was this happening to her? Why was it only her? Why was this world so unfair towards a woman, an immigrant, who couldn't even communicate with them.

Not much less from her odd awakening, she was thrown harshly into a cellar.

A weak yelp escaped from her lips as she slammed against the cemented floor. The familiar smell of urine and musty air made her panic.

"_Please!" _she cried out, sobbing that she was back to square one. _"Please don't do this to me! I don't want to be here!_ _I'm not a fugitive! I haven't done anything wrong! Please!" _

But it was useless. The masked men left, leaving her alone in the dim-lit area. Perhaps this was a special area of solitary confinement, because she didn't hear any other neighbors other than the groaning of weary pipes and the occasional cracks of the walls.

Chinatsu pulled herself in a fetal position.

She sobbed, muffling her cries with the base of her hand. Tears trickled across the bridge of her nose and down the side of her head and into her hairline from her curled posture. _"Mom," _she moaned, terribly missing her mother and sister. _"Mom," _Chinatsu bawled, feeling helpless and fearful. Her arms, which were still tied behind her back, were hurting from the tight cowboy ropes; not to mention that the circulation most likely wasn't running through her veins properly.

Chinatsu was weak. And it was definitely not the type of weak you felt after working out. It was the type of weak kidnapped victims would feel after drugged continuously, day after day, to be used in a prostitution ring.

That was exactly how she felt.

"_Mom," _she moaned, each sob racking harder. There was never a day Chinatsu thought she would revert back to her childhood to a point where she was crying out for her mother. But there would be nothing better than being back in the embrace of her mother. Especially when she entered this world for a little less than half a year.

Tears continued to travel and her eyes became swollen. She felt drained to a point where her eyes closed and she transcended into a dream.

In her dream she was with her family.

Akane was giving Chinatsu a droll look for her stupid question, answering with a smart-ass response despite her mother's sharp tongue.

She smelt fried fish, her olfactory glands flaring from the memorable image of her mother swapped in a white apron and flitting around the kitchen with classical music blaring from the living room (Yo Yo Ma, to be exact).

The habitual three knocks before entering made Chinatsu smiled as she saw her younger sister flaunt into her room to borrow a medical book, the nerd.

Her first boyfriend (a German exchange student in high school), her first date (at a carnival hosted by a Catholic church school), her first kiss (which hurt like hell because of his front buck teeth), her first job (luckily, at a nearby bank), and her first accomplishment (which was amazingly second at CIF finals for swimming) were floating in her head like dust: always forgotten, but never removed.

It was like a film, an old movie film. Her life replayed in her head with a happy wistfulness. The euphoric feeling wavered within her soul, comforting her so that there wasn't any existence torment or any ordeals of pain.

There wasn't the six months of captivity, the struggle to live or rather to die, the desire to learn and avoid humiliation, the effort to consume odd food, the emotional toll and labor of maintaining in a world that didn't belong to her, that she didn't belong in, with the act as if there was a way to return home, as if learning would operate as a barrier to the heavily well-known knowledge that there was no homecoming in her mother's arms. There wasn't Yamato, there wasn't Ir-roo-ka…there wasn't Kakashi.

Kakashi, the man who had been with her sci-fi travel through planes, was an enigmatic man. He was puzzling with his distant character yet cheery personality. She had known him throughout his ghost-like stages and he always portrayed himself as the informative type of male, but here he wasn't. Perhaps there was an unspeakable motive.

Whatever it was, Chinatsu didn't know.

And perchance, she didn't want to know.

Ignorance was bliss in many cases, especially one as this.

Her dream-like state ended abruptly. The euphoric pleasant feeling dissipated quickly as her eyes snapped open.

Chinatsu gasped from her dream, jerking awake harshly at the loud clang the barred gates made as it was roughly opened. The blurry vision from her uninterrupted cry, even in her sleep, made it impossible for her to see whom it was that came in.

A hand grabbed her by the upper arm and hauled her to her feet. Unprepared from the action, Chinatsu yelped as her legs gave out from underneath her.

"Walk," the man commanded.

She struggled to get to her feet, feeling the prickling sensation of her legs awakening from its uncirculated state. Chinatsu blinked her eyes rapidly to clear her vision. But it wasn't cleared from the swimming fluids as she was forced out of the cell roughly. She walked along the person awkwardly, stumbling over her sleeping feet like a retarded penguin.

It wasn't until her other arm was grabbed did she notice there were two people. And they were not patient. It ended up with her legs being dragged behind her as the two men painfully wrenched her upper body up by her poorly flowing arms. She whimpered, attempting to wiggle out but was shaken harshly to stop.

A double entranced door swung open at the command of one of the men. They continued to walk about a couple more steps before dumping her on the floor.

"Don't move."

Chinatsu grunted, hissing as her cheek crackled on the wooden floor. She weakly pulled herself up with the help of her shoulders pushing against the floors.

"Do not move, Yamato-san. That is an order."

She froze at the strange woman's voice, but that wasn't exactly what made her body stiffen. It was what she said, it was the only word Chinatsu managed to catch.

"Y-yam...Yamato?" she said, blinking her eyes rapidly.

Once her vision did manage to clear, Chinatsu glanced around her. The room was big enough to be compared to her high school advanced biology class. Masked men and women were at the four corners of the room, more of them were docking the blond presidential woman up front of Chinatsu. Yamato, Kakashi, and four other people were present in the room. But that wasn't what Chinatsu was concerned about.

"Y-yamato!" Chinatsu almost sobbed with relief. She grunted loudly, fighting with her bonds to pick herself off the floor.

As soon as she had, she limped and staggered towards his direction with immense relief flowering through her. But it quickly deteriorated when his once kind face hardened with aggression as his eyes narrowed at her. Not only that but also his body screamed out hostility.

She stopped walking to him, hurt showing on her face and confusion in her eyes.

What was going on?

"Chinatsu."

Chinatsu turned to the woman, but her eyes strayed off of her to see Kakashi and the other people. Without her direct knowledge, Chinatsu walked away from Yamato at a snail's pace, glancing at everyone and everywhere with a concerned expression. She bit her lip, twisting and turning.

There was no escape. She was surrounded in a closed room.

"Chinatsu!" the blond woman barked.

Her eyes turned to the woman before eyeing the table behind her with two vases with kanjis on them. Chinatsu looked back at the blond, rolling her shoulders uncomfortably as her arms became beyond numbing pain.

Tsunade studied Chinatsu's body language, frowning at her rapidly paling hands. "Release the bonds and the seal."

"Hokage-sama-" one of her bodyguards started. 

"Now." Her sharp tone stifled any complaints and immediately her request was complied to. She watched as the woman's face pinch at the pain, gasping from the removed restraints. Though Tsunade felt somewhat of a pity for Chinatsu, she made herself unsentimental. Especially when she didn't know what she was dealing with that could be a threat.

Her honey eyes turned to Jiriaya who was studying the girl with an intense expression.

"Chinatsu-san," Jiraiya started.

Relieved by the disappearing bonds, Chinatsu held her hands to her chest, rubbing them gingery as pain spiked. _"W-what do you want?" _she whispered, eyeing the white-haired man untrustingly.

"Who are you?"

Teachings from Ir-roo-ka emerged. "Who…me? Nay-moo? Na…name? My name?" She glanced at Yamato and Kakashi but their stone faces told her that they were far than distant from her. Chinatsu worriedly swerved her head from side to side. _"What's going on? Why am I here?" _

When the man who spoke stepped towards her, she flinched and teetered back. By her flightly movements, it had the masked men and women immediately in their fighting stance positions.

"_I…I-I'm not a fugitive," _Chinatsu whispered, her eyes darting around her. _"I don't know what's going on. I don't understand." _

Strands of dirty brown hair swung from side to side as she shook her head at the man continuing to attempt to communicate with her. She watched as he turned to the woman and spoke. Chinatsu wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to comfort the raving nerves bouncing up and down her stomach as if it was a techno party.

"We won't be getting any information like this, Tsunade." Jiraiya turned away from the girl to look at the Hokage. "She can't understand anything. There's no way of asking any question."

The crease between her delicate brows deepened. "We have to. We have to try by any means."

"Hokage-sama, she barely started learning-" Yamato protested.

Tsunade snapped her eyes to Yamato. "That is no excuse. This woman who was supposed to be deemed safe brought along not one, but two bijous into my village. And not only that, but Orochimaru _aaaand _the Akatsuki infiltrated the borders in order to obtain her, for your information. They know something about her we don't, and we will find out. Chinatsu is…" Tsunade sighed and turned her full body towards him with her chin tilted in the air. "She was your case, Yamato. That is all. Any emotional attachments you have formed with her are to disappear. Do you understand?"

Yamato gritted his teeth and bowed his head respectfully to his Hokage. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't go to Chinatsu and offer her the comfort she needed.

He just prayed that all the effort he had put in her had not gone to waste.

"Perhaps, if you show her the jars, she might be interested," Kakashi advised from the wall he was leaning against. His one lone eye turned to the shivering woman and blinked. "Treat her as a child, try and see what will gain her interest and maybe she might be more adamant into learning what we are trying to say."

"I advise against it! She will rip off the seals and release the bijuus we fought hard to contain," one ANBU protested.

"She won't be able to. She's too weak." A masked woman snorted.

"Weak? She flew into the air as if she was the Kuchikage himself and had a tree form out of nothing. Nothing! She is anything but weak, you fool!"

"Do as I command," Tsunade snapped, impatient with their bickering. "And it is not in your place to make decisions, Captain."

The ANBU Captain hesitated before sighing.

Chinatsu gasped when she was suddenly pushed against the two jars on the mahogany table. She glanced at Tsunade and blinked in confusion. _"What do you want?" _

"Open the jars."

Two brows came down together in confusion. Chinatsu turned away from the blond presidential woman and turned to the two jars the woman motioned to. They were nothing out of the ordinary. Whereas one jar was round shaped and blue, the other was box-like and beige. Both had a small top closing the jar that was covered with a piece of paper with scribbled writing. "J…j-jar?" Chinatsu said quietly, almost scared and preparing herself of the consequences if there was any to be delivered for pronouncing the word wrong.

Tsunade walked towards the jar, ignoring Chinatsu's flightly movements. She grasped one, ignoring the quick gasp of one of her ANBUs and pretended to rip off the seal. "Now, you do it." Tsunade said, holding out the jar to Chinatsu.

Chinatsu slowly grabbed the jar. _"You…you want me to open it?" _She repeated the motion Tsunade had done.

When the woman nodded, Chinatsu gave the jar her full attention.

This is it?

Was this the reason why she was abducted, thrown in a cell and yelled at for? All she had to do was open a jar?

Easier said than done.

Right when she was about to open the jar, a passing memory of _The Mummy Returns _passed through her mind. Those grave robbers, architect robbers opened jars and an undead mummy punished them for their actions. Was the same to happen towards her?

With thinned lips, Chinatsu shook her head and placed the jar back where it belonged. "No," she said in Japanese.

The people in the room held their breath as Tsunade went dead still.

"Open the jars," Tsunade demanded once more.

Chinatsu fidgeted in place, twisting the bottom hem of her shirt with her fingers before shaking her head. "No…no…"

A strangled yelp, causing Yamato to nearly fly across the room, came from her mouth as Chinatsu was grabbed by the front of her shirt. Her legs scrabbled for the floor as the busty woman before her held her in the air. Chinatsu gasped, clutching at Tsunade's wrists for some sort of stability. _"W-what are you doing?"_

"You are going to open the jars!" Tsunade commanded.

"No, no jars!" Chinatsu cried out, kicking out helplessly.

Before Tsunade had a chance to punch the foreign woman into the next millennium, Jiraiya was there by her side. Her stressed, maddening mind was forced to come at a stop by his soft-spoken words.

"Tsunade-hime, put her down."

Her honey eyes turned towards him. "She won't open the jars!"

Jiraiya winced at her loud voice. "Put her down, I'll have her do it."

There was a strangled sound at the base of her throat before Tsunade placed Chinatsu on the floor nongently. "Get her to do it within five minutes, Jiraiya. If she doesn't open the jars, I'll have one of my ANBUs help her do it by force." After those frustrated words were announced, Tsunade turned away from the two, walking towards the window to let in a cool breeze of wind.

Jiraiya rolled his eyes at Tsunade's low muttering, turning to the woman who was wailing on the floor. "Now, now, no more crying. That was your fault." He squatted before her, flicking her head lightly to try and grasp her attention.

Chinatsu paused in mid-bawl, confused for a second. She pulled her hands away from her face to see an old man leering close to her face. _"Why the hell did you do that?" _she yelled, holding a hand to her reddening forehead.

He didn't respond to her.

The white-haired man grasped the blue vase and placed it back in her hands. "I need you to open this."

What the hell was so special about these vases? Why did they want her to open it?

Chinatsu frowned before gesturing to one of the masked men besides her. _"Why don't you have him open it?" _

"Nope, sorry, kiddo, only you can do it."

There was a moment of silence. Chinatsu frowned, gazing down at the vase. _"What happens if I do it?" _

"You can do it, kid. I know you can. Nothing bad will happen."

The white-haired man continued to console her with his light-hearted voice, almost cheering her on as she continued to stare at the jar with such misplaced intensity. It came to a point where Chinatsu was tired of hearing him cheer at her for just looking at the jar. It was exactly the same thing a teacher would do with a child who had difficulty eating a broccoli.

You know what…she was damned tired of people treating her like a child.

Chinatsu glared at him viciously, catching by surprised before yelling, _"Stop treating me like a child!" _and ripped off the seal.

Smoke billowed everywhere.

Chinatsu coughed, dropping the vase and waving her hands in the air as she fought for some oxygen. She vaguely heard men and women screaming, yelling over to each other in their odd language. Chinatsu stayed sitting on the floor, not wanting to get in anyone's way in case they trampled over her.

A fuzziness that was only familiar brushed up against her.

"_Kitty!" _Chinatsu crowed, blindly reaching out to grasp at the gigantic cat.

"The bijuu! The bijuu has been released!"

"Shut up!" Jiraiya shouted.

When the smoke dissipated, everyone stared at the dirty woman cuddling and coddling a two-tailed dog-like cat in her lap.

"_Oh, Kitty, I missed you!" _Chinatsu said sweetly, squeezing and petting the cat till it yowled in displease. She didn't care. Chinatsu continued to spoil the cat despite how it was not only wrong place, but also wrong time, wanting to make all her stress disappear with her insistent petting.

Chinatsu placed her face into the cat's side, ignoring the sound of high heels approaching her way. She murmured into the cat's belly, silently pleading for comfort and safety.

"You are scaring her."

This…this was a different voice.

Chinatsu pulled away from the cat, blinking rapidly as the cat climbed out of her lap nimbly. Kitty licked his messy fur, straightening it out before looking up at the blond woman before him. "Tsunade," the cat greeted.

It seemed to escape Chinatsu knowledge that the cat could speak.

"Matatabi," Tsunade said in response. "What are you doing here?"

The two-tailed demon cat ignored the woman. "Where's Shukaku?"

A pointed glance at the cube-like jar was gestured to.

"Good. That raccoon can get a little out of control," Matatabi said. He turned to look over his shoulder to see Chinatsu scuffled and dirty. The sound of displease did not escape anyone's ears. "Why is my ward dirty?"

"Your ward? I thought Chinatsu had ownership of you," Tsunade said.

"I prefer it to go both ways." Matatabi turned its head from left to right, cracking its neck before doubling in size to a point where he wasn't looking up at the Hokage. "Tell your ANBUs that I mean no harm. I favor not having to be looking upwards to anyone besides my ward." He turned away from the Hokage, swishing his tail haughtily before approaching Chinatsu.

"What are you doing in Konohagakure?" Tsunade demanded.

Jiraiya frowned, watching as the bijuu approached the dirty foreign woman with care. "Why is she important to you?" he asked, joining Tsunade's side.

This question caused the demon to pause. He assessed both sannins before scoffing. "You don't know do you? You don't know who she is."

Both sannins looked at each other before staring back at the demon with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

The cat laughed deeply. "Foolish humans."

"_Kitty?" _Chinatsu said quietly. She stayed frozen, feeling the horse-like cat rub up against her. She watched as blue fur disappeared from her vision, making confused and hostile faces of those around her reappear.

"Of course, you wouldn't know. If you hadn't, she wouldn't have had this treatment." Matatabi continued.

"Tell us what you mean!" Yamato yelled.

The blue cat demon clicked his tongue a couple of times at Yamato. "Why did your relationship with Chinatsu bonded so quickly, Yamato-san? You haven't trusted anyone since your experimentation. So, why was she the exception?" His dual eyes turned to the Hokage. "I would imagine she would've felt familiar to you, Tsunade-san. Especially when she runs in your bloodline."

With this small information, everyone was hooked onto the cat's word like a snake's charmful seduction.

Kakashi who was viewing this situation from afar, joined upfront. "Tsunade's bloodline?" he started. "Every birth within the Senju's clan is recorded."

"Not unless the birth happened long, long ago," Matatabi said almost mischievously. As his huge tails swished behind him, as he walked around the room, it knocked the cube-like jar on the floor, expelling the other demon.

"Wheeeeee!"

Matatabi hissed with irritation. "Goddammit!"

The tiny sand raccoon bounded from wall to wall, laughing maniacally as it heard the yells of surprise from the masked men and women. "Wheee! Wheeee!"

An oversize paw slashed through the air, pinning the bouncing ball of joy on the ground. Matatabi snapped his fangs at the giggling raccoon, demanding his submission. "I'm a tail higher than you, Shukaku! Cease your craziness!"

Shukaku grumbled when Matatabi pulled rank, forcing himself to concentrate long enough to be calm. "I hate it when you do that."

"I wouldn't if you weren't so damn pestering!"

"Wait!" Tsunade yelled. "That doesn't answer why you're here! Where are your hosts? What are you doing in Konohagakure?"

"Akatsuki, who else?" Shukaku sighed heavily, lying on his side in a bored pose as he drew invisible circles on the wooden floor.

Yamato frowned. "All the demons?"

Matatabi rolled his eyes. "Not Bee-san and Naruto-kun, of course, but the rest…yes." Before anyone could say anything, the cat smiled a Cheshire grin. "But don't worry, they'll be coming soon."

That didn't comfort anyone.

"Why would they be coming here?" Tsunade questioned, feeling her hackles grow high at the thought of her village becoming a target for demons. "It doesn't make sense, we don't have anything they would want!"

"Same reason why we're here." Shukaku pointed at blank-faced, bored Chinatsu. "For her."

Chinatsu blinked, sitting up straighter when she saw everyone turning to face her. And when she meant everyone, she meant everyone. She could literally feel the eyes behind the masked men and women staring at her with such concentration.

"You haven't even asked for her name, have you?" Matatabi said with a heavy sigh.

"Nay-moo?" Chinatsu repeated.

Shukaku frowned at her broken language. "When the hell is she fully going to understand what we're saying?"

"You must understand that she isn't of this time."

"What?" Jiraiya exclaimed.

Matatabi turned to look at Chinatsu who was picking at her fingernails. "Little Chinatsu here came from a different time…a time far beyond imaginable. A time where only the Wise Woman existed."

There were a couple of collective gasps in the room.

"Are you telling me…she time traveled?"

Shukaku snorted. "Nahhhh, someone kidnapped her!"

"Orochimaru?" Tsunade guessed.

"Uchiha Madara," Matatabi corrected.

"Why? Why did he kidnap her?" Yamato asked.

Matatabi sat down, his tail swishing behind him. "Because of who she is."

Tsunade snarled in irritation and annoyance. "Stop talking in circles, demon, and tell us what you mean!" She walked up to the cat, much to her personal bodyguards protest and growled up at him. "You and the sand demon continue to talk in circles, leading us on with little information that could lead to something big! Tell us something!"

The blue cat blinked drolly and looked away from the irate human female. "Ask her."

Chinatsu frowned as she watched the cat and raccoon fully communicating with the other people of the room. This was…pretty weird and awkward. She chewed on her lip, watching as each person in the room talked their own opinions she couldn't understand.

A sigh escaped from her lips.

She wished she could understand what they're saying.

At that exact moment, everyone turned towards her and she wanted to take that wish back and never make it again.

Kakashi was the first to approach her. Her eyes grew wider as he knelt before her.

He brought up his hand to his chest. "Hatake Kakashi." As soon as he said that, he gestured towards her. He swept his hand across for a split second before saying, "Chinatsu."

"…Hatake…Kakashi…" Chinatsu tried.

He nodded in affirmation, and then motioned towards her.

Chinatsu parted her lips.

"Chinatsu."

"Hatake Kakashi."

"…Chinatsu."

"Hatake…Kakashi."

"…Senju Chinatsu."

**DUUUUN DUUUUUUUUUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!**

**Her name is out! Haha, I know it's been a long time since my last update, but have no fears! I'm still writing even if it's taking forever ;D Wow, I've been concentrating so much on my FF account that my FP account is literally a ghost town. I must go back there and update some story to appease my reviewers, lol. **

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! There was a lot of things going on, so if you have any questions feel free to ask! =]**

**Have no fears! This scene will continue onto the next chapter and there are more JUICY DETAILS THERE, WOOHOO!**

**THANK YOU MY LOVELY REVIEWERS! I LOVE YOU ALL DEARLY SO MUCH!**

**ChocolatSugar **Darkness-Fox _RandomCitizen_ **Snevilly** Aiko Tachibana _Oluhasuu_ **Vivagrl** FurrFerret _Thomas Drovin_ **Eternal Cat Moon** dizzydani666 _FeatherfooD_ **xiMenagerie** bestfriend1245 _TalaxVampirella_


	14. Essences

**Chapter 14: Essences**

After she had mentioned her full name, there was a blurry of emotions. While some stared at her in astonishment, the blond woman was furious. She screamed, stomped her small foot on the ground to a point where the ground shook with her might. Tendrils of web-like cracks slithered up the walls.

Chinatsu gasped in fright, jumped to her feet and darted towards Kitty for safety.

Tsunade hissed in irritation, raking five red-tipped fingernails through her scalp as new information processed through her head.

This was something too grand; it was so grand that the elders of the village including the daimyo is required his presence, and it was required immediately. There had been some doubts that what the bijuu had mentioned could be lies, but the tailed demons have lived on longer than humans. What would the point of the information be if it were lies? Demons held no greed as humans would.

"Call the council and the elders," Tsunade snapped.

One ANBU saluted before disappearing.

Her honey-colored eyes turned towards Chinatsu, narrowing as she watched the wary woman pet the two-tails as if it were a normal house cat.

It was then when Tsunade noticed something odd about Chinatsu.

"How does she have chakra?" Tsunade questioned, coming close to the woman with furrowed brows. "It can't be possible. Half a year ago, she had no chakra whatsoever, and now, out of the blue, she does? Which brings it to another question: if she was did, hypothetically, time-jump, why did she not have chakra in the beginning?"

Matatabi purred lowly for Chinatsu's comfort. "As I had said, she came from the beginning of time…"

It was a time of desolation and hunger.

The beginning of the world was not of those who imagined it with a religious base. The beginning of the world was introduced with destruction. There was no greenery, no vital life. It was passed on in historical books that the world was a barren wasteland. Humans have fought hard, dreadfully hard, to work along with Mother Earth and have her produce her children water, food, and shelter. The Wise Woman, the elder of that time, and even now, provided her assistance.

People looked within themselves spiritually, continuing to raise plants from dry dirt until they discovered untapped power: chakra.

As time passed, humans continued to withdraw from this chakra, using it to feed and nurture the earth they wanted to preserve for the future generation. And they succeeded in it when the help of the Wise Woman was given freely.

Soon enough, the earth produced plentiful and bountiful, and thus the Five Great Shinobi Nations were created.

"How was she summoned to this time?"

Matatabi shook his head. "We don't know."

Yamato glanced at Kakashi who was in deep thought. "Then why Kakashi's house? Why was she summoned to his house deliberately? Was there a plan Madara wanted to use, including Kakashi?"

"I highly doubt it." Matatabi yawned. "She must've grown up in the exact same spot he does, despite the whole centuries in between. Haven't you realized she never had any difficulty adapting with the environment and weather of your precious Konohagakure? Usually tourists, especially merchants, complain and compare about the weather to their hometown. But she didn't need no adjusting."

"If she was from the time of the Wise Woman, why did I see a house? From what I've learned, in the beginning of time people lived in huts." Kakashi said, remembering the images of her very fancy house before she transferred here.

Matatabi rolled his eyes. "I am a demon, not a god. I don't know everything."

"Do you know why was she brought here?" Yamato asked, confused by the information invading his brain. "Or what's her purpose to Uchiha Madara?"

Shukaku shrugged his tiny beige shoulder.

"We, unfortunately, don't know." Matatabi gazed down at the worried woman who continued to concentrate on petting his blue fur. "We know who she is, but we don't know what she is intended to be used for. The tailed beasts are merely attracted to her. Perhaps, that's the reason why he wants her. Who knows?"

"Tailed beasts?" Kakashi questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you saying that all the tailed demons will be coming for her?"

"All of them!" Shukaku cackled.

Tsunade frowned. "That's why Naruto was so adamant to protecting her during the interrogation despite never meeting her."

"But he's like that with everyone!" Yamato protested.

"Kyuubi usually isn't so keen to meeting new people," Kakashi informed, scratching the back of his head. "But during the interrogation, it threatened to break free. It's all the information we need to be sure that the other demons will be coming for Chinatsu."

A shudder ran over Jiraiya's body at the thought of Konohagakure surrounded by all the beasts. "But why? Why do they feel this need to be with her? The only person who had control of all the tailed demons was-"

"Senju Hashirama."

Everybody in the room, including Chinatsu turned towards the double-entranced door. There, standing in shell frozen shock were the two elders. Koharu gasped, whereas Homura staggered back with the intensity of the shock roiling through his old feeble body. The original thought to berate the Hokage, ANBUs and Jounin instructors about releasing the two bijuus dissipated as they felt a specific chakra signature that shouldn't exist at this time.

Overcoming her shock quickly, Koharu snarled, "What devilry is this?"

Chinatsu blinked, grasping the fur of Kitty's fur tightly when the old woman wobbled towards her with an almost desperate-looking gait. Before the old woman had a chance to come within a feet of Chinatsu, a tower of blue fur blocked her vision.

"I will not allow you to come near my ward," Matatabi flashed his fangs.

Koharu was not perturbed. "I have sealed demons before, _cat_, and I can do it again just as easily," she hissed at the two-tails. Ignoring the growling from the demon cat, Koharu turned towards the Hokage. "Now answer me, why does the woman have chakra?"

"We were in the process of figuring out the answer," Tsunade said drolly, turning away from the elder to sit on a chair. She sighed wearily, threading a hand through her hair as a migraine fought for the victory of war.

"Okay, ignore the fact that the woman has chakra," Homura sneered. "I want to know why the woman has Senju Hashirama's exact chakra."

Silence, there was pure silence.

Kakashi frowned, looking at Chinatsu with an inquisitive eye. Her chakra was awkward, like a new baby gazelle's first steps. When he had met her in the flesh, she had no chakra whatsoever. And now, after the attack of Akatsuki, her chakra suddenly came to existence. As he continued to watch her, a small glint at the base of her neck caught his attention.

Chinatsu's head jerked up when she noticed Kakashi standing before her. She stared up at him in fright, her hand reaching around to grip at Kitty's fur for sanctuary. When his hand came up to her chest, she squeaked and shut her eyes.

"Isn't this your necklace, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade looked towards Kakashi to see him holding up the base of the necklace around Chinatsu's neck. The familiar glint of the turquoise stone made her heart stop. "But," she said, her hand whipping to her absent neck. "I gave Naruto my necklace. He would never remove it…"

The Hokage of Konohagakure stood up and walked towards Kakashi, her eyes entranced by the stone. She took it from his hand and gazed down at it upon her open palm.

Recognizable chakra emaciating from the stone toiled through her, but they were much stronger. Tsunade gasped and released the necklace, stepping back.

It was exactly like hers, but it wasn't hers.

"Do you believe in reincarnation?"

Matatabi's soft-spoken voice sliced through Tsunade's hazy mind. "What of it?" she asked softly, turning to the cat demon.

Homura, who had stood quietly from the sidelines, nodded gravely as he caught on to Matatabi's words. "There's no other explanation."

His old teammate turned towards him swiftly. "What are you saying? That this is Senju Hashirama? That's a mockery! That's a joke!" Koharu laughed emotionlessly, shaking her head from side to side with nervousness. "It can't be true, it can't! And if it was, Hashirama's soul would be in a child's body by now!"

"…Only if he was the reincarnation of Chinatsu. That's why her chakra was so familiar…"

"Homura, it can't be!"

"Look at her. Her soul is the very same as Senju Hashirama's, but in a much more feminine aura. Koharu, you can feel it. Look! She has the same brown hair and eyes as he does!"

"Everyone has brown hair and eyes! That doesn't disclose to anything!"

"The tree! Didn't you see the size of that tree she created from absolutely nothing?"

"That somewhat explains Madara's want for her. Is it revenge? Or does he merely want to use her?"

Chinatsu's eyes drooped down. The excitement of today was getting to her. She sleepily looked up at Kitty whose fur was standing on the edge, hackles up and ready in case of an attack. Chinatsu yawned, her vision blurring with said tears. Though she very much would like to fall asleep, at the moment it was a bad idea. Everyone's face was stressful, yelling and snapping irritably as if they were debating about politics or religion. Chinatsu just wanted to sleep and never wake up.

She looked away from Kitty to see Yamato staring at her. Her brown eyes quickly averted and saw the blond woman, who was at the top of the food chain, silencing everyone with a snarl.

"Enough!" Tsunade snapped, glaring at everyone in the room. Her head tilted to her ANBUs, and with a slight jerk of her chin, they disappeared, leaving Kakashi, Yamato, Jiraiya, the two elders and Tsunade alone in the room with Chinatsu and her two demons.

Tsunade turned away from everybody. There was a tick-tock vein throbbing at her temple, threatening to burst like a dam as she sought for her chair. Once she sat upon it, she sighed and looked at everyone with narrowed eyes.

"This will be taken to the Wise Woman."

Jiriaya blinked, glancing at everyone's confused faces before regarding to his teammate. "Tsunade, what are you talking about?"

Tsunade turned her chair, swirling it till it was facing the window. "We will take this case to the Wise Woman."

Before anyone could say anything, she held up a hand.

"There was a rumor that the Wise Woman was a part of the Senju clan, the head leader, at the start of time. When she refused to leave the mountains, she passed on the head of the clan to another man. Because of this rumor, it was recorded in some of my ancestor's old diaries her whereabouts. It doesn't have specific coordinates, but there's a possibility that the Wise Woman resides in Sunagakure." Tsunade leaned back against her leather chair, bringing her elbows to the rest and lacing her fingers together. "I will assemble a team and they will go to the Wise Woman on my behalf. We need to determine whether or not if Chinatsu is of the Senju clan, and if she is, we will need her advice."

For once, the elders didn't argue with the Princess of Konohagakure. "Who will you be assigning to the team? Orochimaru and Akatsuki are after the girl, it won't be a safe journey."

Tsunade sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I will take two days to create the team, until then Chinatsu is to be under constant watch. I want twenty four-seven surveillance on her. And she will no longer be under Yamato's care."

"Hokage-sama-!" Yamato protested.

"No, it is not safe." Tsunade said. "I don't know if, though still impossible, the chakra of Senju Hashirama in Chinatsu will disturb the DNA of the Shodaime in your body. She will be looked after by ANBU specialists."

Jiraiya frowned. "Who are you thinking of?"

The Hokage pursed her lips, her eyes crinkling as she roamed through her mind for a couple ANBUs. "It will be my own personal body guards."

"But, they're the best of the best! You need them!" Koharu said, disagreeing with Tsunade.

"At the moment, Chinatsu is more important than me. She can control the tailed beasts and is targeted by dangerous people. Whereas she doesn't have any talent in the fighting field, I do. I have a better chance of defending myself than her. I want Chinatsu guarded at all times." Tsunade cleared her throat, sitting up straighter in her seat. "I will find another group of ANBUs for myself, but for now, they are to be transferred to Chinatsu's care."

"On top of that, I want Chinatsu to start training." Almond-colored eyes turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi, you and Yamato will be training her. I want her to be able to learn the basics of genins by the end of this week."

Kakashi nodded, holding Yamato back as he tried to throw in some words of his own. "Hokage-sama, with all do respect, I don't think Chinatsu will be able to learn it all."

"Try."

It wasn't going to be an easy task, but it was a necessary one. Tsunade knew that it was tough to get a teenager, an adult to start on the road of a ninja. It wasn't impossible, but it was a rough road; after all, old dogs can't learn new tricks.

She sighed heavily, frowning at the two bijous. "I'm assuming if I even mention the thought of separating you two, you will not listen."

Matatabi yawned, revealing long ivory fangs. "You stand correct."

"Then you two are to stay within the size of house-sized pets at all times. I will not tolerate you two growing any larger and scaring the village. We have enough to deal with and the both of you included doesn't make it any simpler." Tsunade turned to Chinatsu. "Chinatsu will be staying…" Tsunade paused, narrowing her eyes in thought. "She will be given a room in this building. If she's in the heart of the village, it'll be harder for anyone to get to her, especially with the many ANBUs at station here, including me."

One drawer opened and a folder came out. Tsunade flipped the folder open and started jotting down notes of the whole fiasco. "Kakashi, Yamato, you two will be in on the mission to visit the Wise Woman. And though you two are included, Team Seven is not, understood?"

"Hai." Yamato nodded.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "About that Hokage, after the attack on the village, we have someone missing."

Tsunade's head jerked up. "Who?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

The anger and frustration going through Tsunade was very much toiling through Kakashi. She wanted to smash the little twerp's head to kingdom come. She should've known that the child would escape with Orochimaru at the given chance. Why hadn't she thought about placing guards on him? She was such a fool!

Shaking her head, Tsunade merely added the new information to the folder.

"Homura and myself will be taking her learning sessions. It seems as if her current instructor isn't fairing so well on having her learn fast." Koharu commented.

Jiraiya tilted his head to the right. "From what I've heard, Iruka-sensei had just started recently."

"It matters not. It's far too slow." Koharu turned away from the group. "When she isn't training, she is learning unless eating or sleeping. Do send her straight to the tower when you are finished with her, Hatake-san." And with those words, both elders left the room, allowing the ANBUs to reenter.

Chinatsu was falling asleep. She heard the commotion, the arguing, and the departing, but she was too tired to care. How long has it been? What times was it?

Lights still played outside the window. There were birds chirping, wind blowing, and sun shining, but she was honestly exhausted. Chinatsu pondered on the thought of wondering how long she was stuck in the tree, but didn't think too much of it. There was a headache already pulsing at her temple, she didn't need questions invading her mind.

She leaned against Kitty, allowing the purr to settle her panicking heart.

"Chinatsu…"

"Chinatsu…!"

"Chinatsu!"

Chinatsu yelped, pulling away from Kitty and swerved to see Tsunade's face right up against hers. She squeaked, her face turning into a color of furious red before staggering back. _"I'm sorry!" _

The woman leaned away from her and gestured to the five masked men and women behind her. "These are to be your bodyguards. You will not be allowed any place without them. _You_," Tsunade stressed. "You and them. Good."

"…Good?" Chinatsu said.

Tsunade nodded. She turned to Matatabi and gestured towards the double door. "My personal guards will show you the way to your room. Everybody else, leave, excluding, you, Jiraiya. I must speak with you." Tsunade turned to look out the window.

Chinatsu attempted to leave with Yamato only to have him shake his head solemnly. He grabbed her hesitantly by the shoulders and pointed to the four masked people off to the side. "You are going with them," he said quietly, pushing her towards them. When she tried to dig her heels into the ground to stop Yamato from pushing her, he swatted her head.

"_Ouch!" _she cried, rubbing her head. _"What was that for?" _

"Go with them." Yamato released her, and Kitty followed suit into pushing Chinatsu towards the others.

"_Kitty, I wanna go with Yamato!" _Chinatsu said frustratingly, shoving against the big heap of a cat. But the demon refused, merely pushing her as if she was his own kitten and guiding her to the ANBUs whom saluted the woman before turning away to lead them to their room within the compound. Chinatsu panicked, waving her head in an attempt for Yamato to come and get her. _"Ya-yamato!" _

Yamato sighed and walked towards Chinatsu. He patted her head, rolling his eyes when she glomped him. "It's okay, don't be scared."

"_What are you doing? Why are we being separated! I wanna go home! I don't want to be here!" _

"Don't be scared."

Chinatsu gazed up at him, teary eyes frowning in confusion. _"…Obie…obierukoto…?"_

Yamato nodded, smiling gently. "It's alright, don't be scared."

"…D-don't…be…scared," Chinatsu repeated, tightening her arms around Yamato. She ignored him as he patted her head, repeating the words under her breath. Her eyes lulled, feeling the heaviness of sleep draping down upon her body like a blanket. Unconsciously, she leaned against Yamato, snoring already as he rolled his eyes.

"About time the jutsus start affecting her."

Kakashi watched as Yamato heaved Chinatsu's body over Matatabi's form. "Did you…?"

Yamato nodded. "I did put her to sleep, else she would've continued fighting against the Hokage's demand. Chinatsu is very stubborn."

"Like every other woman," Jiraiya snorted.

"GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!" Tsunade roared.

And in an instant everyone disappeared with the exception of her very unlucky teammate.

Jiraiya stood there, twiddling his thumbs nervously until he caught himself. He didn't do anything wrong for Christ sakes! Why the hell was he…_so_ anxious? Jiraiya sighed, puffing out his chest before approaching the deadliest woman in existence. "Tsunade-"

"How the hell did she get it?" Tsunade whispered, sitting down upon the chair of her office with a concentrated look. "How?"

"Who?"

"That girl…. Chinatsu. How did she get the ability to do that?"

Jiriaya carefully approached Tsunade, walking around her desk and laid a hand upon her shoulder in silent comfort. "What is it? What does Chinatsu have?"

Tsunade sighed, cracked her neck and leaned back against her chair. "She inherited the ability, which had…has skipped many, many generations of the Senju clan…"

"…to control the tailed beasts."

**I've been fighting a bug all day. And it doesn't help that the weather is as hot as can be. UGH. If there are mistakes in this chapter, I'm sorry! The chapter would've been longer but this headache has been killing me for days! :c **

**Thank you for reviewing! Hopefully, I'll have something out sooner and longer!**

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**Guest – **Here's the next chapter!~ (:


	15. Acceptance

**Chapter 15: Acceptance**

She was sure she was in hell. There was no other way to explain the fruitless journey of a thousand miles, the continuous weights she was required to grasp, the sparring partner from the deepest, most putrid bowels of hell, and the old nagging elderly couple that seemed to rival school teachers back in the 1800s. Chinatsu wanted to run away and never come back. Hell, she wanted to do that from the start. But she was stuck.

And she was running.

Chinatsu wheezed, her noodle arms and legs flopping around with no sense of direction. She ignored Yamato's voice as he continued to talk in that encouraging tone, occasionally bumping her arms and legs to try and get them to move properly.

If he tapped her arm one more time-

Yamato, who seemed like he was just walking fast besides her, said something she couldn't understand and slowly stopped.

Chinatsu did a u-turn and threw herself down next to a tree. She panted, closed her eyes and silently prayed that lightning struck Yamato.

Instead, her second instructor from hell arrived.

"Yo," Kakashi said as he sauntered towards the two. He looked at Yamato to see him pretending to choke Chinatsu while she was trying to catch her breath, as he assumed.

"I hope you've got even tougher training, Kakashi, because this brat needs it." Yamato rolled his eyes and spun away from the girl. "You would think anyone could run at least a mile without needing to stop _nor_," he stressed. "…complain. But no, not her. We have been doing this for three days now and she still cannot run a mile without looking like she just had a lobotomy. And it doesn't help that you come two hours late, too!"

Kakashi chuckled. He had witnessed Chinatsu's training, and if someone like Ibiki was required to train her, he would literally lash her with whips and she still wouldn't comply.

When a foot nudged Chinatsu's side, she frowned and rolled onto her stomach. _"Iie!"_

"I don't understand what you just said."

"No!" Chinatsu repeated herself.

"Up, Chinatsu, you need to do target practice now."

"No!"

"Chinatsu," Yamato dragged out her name in warning.

"No!"

Without a second of warning, Chinatsu was picked up. She screamed, kicking out her legs and swinging her arms about in a last act of desperation to be dropped. And she was, abruptly and unkindly. Chinatsu hissed, rubbing her elbow as her funny bone vibrated madly. Her eyes narrowed up at Kakashi who walked towards a tree with a target nailed upon it.

"I want you to hit here." Kakashi tapped the smallest circle of the white and red ringed target with his index and middle finger. He slipped a kunai out of his pouch and tapped the circle with the tip for more emphasis on his wishes. "I want it here, Chinatsu."

"_Oh my god, we tried this already for the four-hundredth time. I don't know how to do this!" _Chinatsu snapped, her cheeks glowing with fury. She looked at Yamato who crossed his arms over his chest, unrelenting to her wishes to go sleep.

For goodness sakes, who wakes up at four in the morning?!

"Here, Chinatsu," Kakashi repeated once again.

"_Graaaahhhhhhuuughhhhhhh,"_ Chinatsu growled deep within her throat, much like a child would with mathematic homework or extrenuous chores. She snatched the pouch from Yamato, ripped it open and was about to chuck one of those funky looking knives at the tree when a hand grasped at her wrist.

Yes, she has soon learned that Kakashi and Yamato moved at the speed of light.

Kakashi gently pulled her to the side, ignoring her when she _accidently_ jarred her elbow to his ribs, while Yamato took her previous place. "Look at his posture," he said, motioning his hands to Yamato's body. "Look, left foot forward, elbow pointing at target, arm over the shoulder, and move forward. Remember, balance. That's the key: balance."

Like a spoiled teenager, Chinatsu watched boredly as Yamato threw a funky looking knife at the target. Her face was emotionless as both teachers babbled in their foreign language, moving around as if trying to get her to understand what they were doing so she would repeat the same instructions.

It was pissing her off.

Why the hell was she learning this? She didn't need any experience in knife throwing on her resume. It was ridiculous! Chinatsu huffed, rolling her eyes once again when the pouch of knives were pressed against her hands. Without even looking, she grabbed the knives one by one from the small grey bag and chucked it as fast and as hard as she can.

Not a single one hit the target.

She threw the pouch on the floor and sank to it with an annoying sigh. But before she could sink to the ground, her arm was grabbed at roughly.

"Chinatsu!" Yamato snapped, his eyes narrowed. "You need to learn this! This is very important! Stop acting like this!" He unkindly forced her to her feet and pressed another pouch of knives at her hands. Her tempertantrums were somewhat adorable at first, he admitted, but now it was getting to a point where he was close to drowning her to the nearest available water source.

They only had four more days to teach Chiantsu the requirements to be a genin.

And she learned absolutely nothing.

As a mission from the Hokage, failure wasn't an option.

Chinatsu hurled the pouch to the floor and stomped a foot. "Why?" she asked in her heavily accented voice. "Why this? Why me? Home! I want home! Home! No more! No, no, no!"And before she knew it, she switched to English, _"This is a waste of time, why do I need to do this unnecessary work? First, you guys throw me in solitary confinement, isolating me from the rest of the world, as if I'm the bad guy, and now you want me to work alongside of you? Why do I need to throw knives? I just want to go home! I don't want to be here!" _And before she knew it, she started crying. _"I don't want to learn anything from this stupid world, I don't want to eat anymore stupid food from this stupid, stupid world. I want to go-"_

Her voice was cut off as she stumbled back. Chinatsu fell on her bottom, looking up at the two men towering over her with an incredulous expression on her face as she held her burning, stinging cheek.

Kakashi crouched down. "Stop it. You're not going home, ever. You need to learn how to survive, Chinatsu. This world is unkind, especially to those who aren't equipped or trained to endure the hardships. You need to remain alive."

It didn't matter if she could control the tailed beasts, if she was the reincarnation of a very important Senju or if she was potentially dangerous. At the moment, she was a tyke; a temperamental one.

Of course, Chinatsu didn't understand what he said. But she grasped two important words.

"No home? No going?" she asked heartbrokenly.

Kakashi shook his head, ignoring Yamato's silent insistence for him to shush about the delicate topic. "She needs to know this, Yamato. If she doesn't, she'll continue to be uncooperative," Kakashi said as he stood back up. He turned to the panicking wooden technique user and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Take a break; I'll take over her training."

Yamato brushed off his words. "She's going to cry, she's can't handle the truth-"

"Leave."

Yamato stared at his superior for a minute before relenting. "Alright, I'll be back in an hour. She still needs to work on meditation and chakra flow."

Kakashi heard Yamato leaving quickly and began to gather the knives Chinatsu had thrown in her outburst, allowing her a few minutes before beginning again.

Chinatsu sat there like a fool. She had known she was never going home, didn't she? Her brain had to! She had been here for half a year now, and now she acts surprise at the information Kakashi had given her? A small broken chuckle passed her lips as she raked her fingers through her bird nest of a hair. The small hope, which had brought her to this point, dwindled into the nothingness. It was the hope that had driven her far to work alongside of this world. But now…was there any point in it at all?

A hand pressed itself against her glowing cheek. "Sorry."

Chinatsu looked up at Kakashi before looking away. "S…s-sorry…y…"

During the time Kakashi was telling her how to throw the knives at the target, she wasn't truly there. She listened, nodded and threw the knife according to his gestures. But she was mulling over the world she would never come in contact again. The way Kakashi was fixing her posture, standing beside her and instructing softly into her ear would've made her blushed heavily and breath rather erotically towards the perfectly chiseled male specimen. She would've if she wasn't thinking about her mother and sister, her job, her life.

No, no, no. She needed to stop thinking about them. If one more precious memory of her family swept up over her head, Chinatsu was sure that she'd lose it. And she wasn't sure if she'd ever come back sane.

"_Come on, Chinatsu, focus," _she muttered to herself.

Chinatsu hadn't noticed she was crying during her practice until her nose became stuffy. She blinked in shock, noticing how her eyes were swollen with tears and face wet with tracks. Quickly, she turned away from Kakashi and furiously rubbed them off. "Sor…sorry," she said once again.

As soon as she had herself gathered, she picked up a knife and threw it, continuing her lesson.

She hadn't hit a single target.

"_This is ridiculous." _Chinatsu grabbed the pouch, pulling her arm away from Kakashi as she neared the target. _"I've been practicing for three days and I still can't hit the target, what the hell?" _She challenged the taunting target, snarling at the red and white rims as she neared. When she was about two feet away from the target, she threw the knife.

It hit the target in the outer rim.

She jerked it out of the wooden plate and took a huge step back, throwing it once again. When it missed, Chinatsu trained from that spot until she hit the target and repeated her actions.

She completely ignored the man off to the side, who was watching as determination clouded her face.

Kakashi would've sighed in relief that at least she could hit a target, but he refused to. At least there was something they could check mark off the list.

When her flurry of motions, which only was defined as pure frustration, caught his attention, Kakashi took a step forward to make her stop when she cried out.

Chinatsu hissed, holding her hand to her chest as a small thin river of blood ran down her arm. _"Goddammit!" _Like a wild animal, she turned away from Kakashi as he offered help. _"I got this, I got this!"_ she yelled, pressing her palm face down on her thigh and pressed hard so the blood flow would slow.

Kakashi gently slapped her viciously swinging arm away and grabbed her bleeding one. His one eye assessed the injury and he huffed. It was a cut that was somewhat deep, but still healable. He placed his hand over hers and watched as it glowed green.

This shouldn't surprise her. This godforsaken world had thrown her talking animals, flying humans, and child warriors. What more was a glowing green hand healing her cut as if magic suddenly existed within her dictionary. Come on, it was magic, duh.

"_Great, now even my uses as a nurse is completely useless," _Chinatsu grumbled, watching as her skin slowly sewed shut. And believe her, it hurt.

Chinatsu looked up at Kakashi's face and went still. Her half-lidded eyes roved around face structure. Of course, she couldn't see his face due to the black mask, but that didn't mean she couldn't see the facial bone structure. His jaw line was incredibly masculine, sharp and forward. And while she couldn't see the outline of his lips, his nose had a strong slope to the addition of his face. The funky band wrapped around one of his eyes didn't immediately skewer the possibility of another eye, (Come on, look at the fashionistas around here) it just said, 'Tenant evicted'…which was a heavily creepy thought.

But his lone eye was attractive enough.

She hadn't realized she was staring until she noticed that one eye staring straight at her.

If she had been herself, the Chinatsu from her original world, sure enough she would've blubbered excuses, face turning red from embarrassment and make a fool of herself as she exited the area.

But she was exhausted to be honest: defeated.

Chinatsu gazed at him for a few seconds before closing her eyes and bowed her head. She then leaned forward until her forehead bumped his chest. In such of silence, she begged him to lend her some of his strength, for she had no clue whether or not if she could go on. She needed a post, a land, a rock to hold her grounds. She cannot do it alone.

A heavy hand placed itself on her head as a quiet support.

"No more, Chinatsu."

Chinatsu nodded slowly against his chest. "No…more," she repeated.

"Look forward."

"L-look…fer…fur…forward."

"Don't look back."

"…Dun…dun look back."

In some ways, Kakashi felt like he could relate. He lost everyone he had known and gained nothing from their deaths but pain and grief. Sure, he had abused ANBU missions as his output until forcibly kicked out, but he dealt with it. Perhaps 'dealt' wasn't the word he should use, but that bottle of agony was somewhere within him, unopened and ignored.

He figured, it was better to give no acknowledgement towards those memories than confront them peacefully. It was less painful.

Kakashi sighed, patted Chinatsu's head once more before stepping back. He gestured towards the target and nodded towards her.

Chinatsu looked up at him, her eyes red rimmed and lips pouting slightly. He watched as she struggled to gather herself: biting down on her lip and frowning viciously. She turned away from him and glared at the tree with such ferocity, he was shocked the tree didn't wither and die.

Yamato returned in an hour, pleased that Chinatsu was following Kakashi's instructions. He stood next to the jounin, examining her critically before sighing hopelessly. "She needs to hit the middle of the target! And she's only six feet away from it!"

Kakashi continued to look at Chinatsu's training. "I know."

"This won't dwell well with the Hokage." Yamato rolled his neck, cracking it in certain places before nodding his head. "Alright! Let's move on with meditation!"

Chinatsu knew what they were attempting to teach her. It was meditation. And she had no idea how to do it. More than once she was caught snoozing off and was punished greatly from it with a slap to the back of her head. Of course, she cried out in indignation, but Yamato held his firm ground and shook his head. How the hell are you supposed to meditate?

She growled low in her throat and closed her eyes once more, ignoring the painful throb at the back of her head from the recent disciplinary hit.

Breathe in and out, in and out.

Okay, what's the first thing she has to do during meditation? It's pretty clear that she has to clear her mind, right?

But how the hell can she when there were so many goddamn birds singing and tooting all over the area. It was mind-fucking.

Chinatsu opened her eyes and glared at the birds chirping in the tree branch hovering over her. She squinted her eyes viciously, hoping that the birds would get a clue and fly off, but nope! No, the birds stayed there, hopping and twittering cutely.

Her hand twitched to grab one of those funky knives.

Yamato slapped the back of her head again.

"_Alright, alright, enough!" _Chinatsu yelled, scrambling to her feet. _"I can't meditate! Look at those birds, _Yamato! _They're annoying the hell out of me! I can't concentrate with them singing and shit!"_

Yamato was unamused by her tirade. "That is why you ignore them, Chinatsu. It's all about clearing your mind." It didn't take a genius to understand what Chinatsu was saying when she only stabbed her fingers nastily towards the general direction of the birds.

Chinatsu wanted to throttle Yamato's neck. Instead she plopped back down and assumed the meditating position.

She inhaled and exhaled.

The next thing she knew, she opened her eyes to see Yamato clapping happily. Chinatsu blinked in confusion, quickly scanning her surroundings in case she was somewhere different.

"You did it! Thirty minutes, good job!" Yamato patted her back to make her understand that she had done what they asked.

"Now we deal with chakra flow," Kakashi said.

Yamato's shoulders of happiness slumped. "How in the world are we going to teach her that if she doesn't know what chakra is?"

Kakashi sighed and glanced up at the sky. "Why don't we take a break today? We'll deal with chakra flow tomorrow."

His buddy nodded vigorously. "Good idea."

When Chinatsu noticed the two men nodding and conversing amongst themselves, she felt some bad juju hit the base of her gut.

No, no, no! Their time couldn't be over!

Chinatsu jumped to her feet and walked towards Yamato. She nudged at his ribs and pointed at his weapons pouch. _"Let's practice some more!"_

Kakashi chuckled at the scenario. "She knows she has to report to the elders for studies."

"Haha, that, now that is something you cannot get out of," Yamato smiled at Chinatsu, shaking his head when she attempted to reach for his weapons pouch. "Come on, let's walk you to the elders."

Chinatsu dreaded each step at the moment.

There was nothing more horrible than the old couple. Nothing.

At the end of each study she took from them, she felt like her head was going to explode. They were true born Nazi's. They crammed everything in her head, forcing her to speak, snapping and yelling when she wouldn't pronounce a specific word right or if she used incorrect grammar. It was incorrigibly awful.

And here she was, sitting before the old couple, watching as Kakashi and Yamato left the room to leave her with the couple from hell.

"Sit up straight, no slouching!" Koharu snapped, slapping a ruler against Chinatsu's back swiftly.

"It's _su-mi-MA-sen,_ not _su-mi-MEH-SAN."_ Homura criticized.

"Goodness, your writing is inexplicably horrid. It's a wonder how you survived at all."

"You received a seventy-five percent on this exam. That's a failure."

And no matter how many times they bickered, it still grated Chinatsu's nerves. Sure, she didn't understand what they were saying, but that didn't mean she couldn't read their gestures and facial expressions. They were impatient with her. Chinatsu wasn't grasping their language and culture as quickly as they assumed she would. It's been three days and she's only learned enough to survive in a world of three-year-olds.

Chinatsu sighed as her hand cramped. She paused in the midst of her writing to stretch out her fingers.

The ruler slapped on the desk hard, causing Chinatsu to flinch harshly from it.

"Keep writing!" Koharu tutted her tongue, narrowing her beady eyes at Chinatsu. "The only way you'll learn the language is if you keep studying!"

Homura sighed and shook his head. "Is this how the younger generation is nowadays?"

The old woman used the ruler and tapped the piece of paper on the desk multiple times with ruthless insistence. "Continue."

Chinatsu grabbed the pencil and continued writing quietly.

_Watashi wa Chinatsu desu._

_I am Chinatsu._

_Mou kaettemo ii desu ka._

_May I leave?_

_Tasukete._

_Help._

_Kekkou desu._

_No, thanks._

Oh, dear, this was much worse than I-roo-kah's class. Why in the world did she complain about him? He's an angel compared to them.

When Chinatsu had paused in her writing once more, the ruler came down.

This time, Chinatsu snapped. She slammed her pencil on the desk, glared at the two crones before and yelled, "No!"

The result was instantaneous.

Not only had Chinatsu yelled at them unexpectedly, but along with her outburst, her chakra flared vigorously. The chakra was recognizable to the two elders as their deceased mentor. Homura jumped up, straightened his stiffly posture to the militant one while Koharu held her head up higher and brought her shoulders back as if waiting for command.

As soon as they realized what had occurred, the elders batted their eyes in bewilderment. They looked at Chinatsu who was just as surprised at their actions. Slowly, the two cleared their throat and eased from their previous forms with a sigh.

"We cannot ignore it any longer. She is Senju Hashirama." Homura said, leaning back against his chair with his eyes closed. He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose to alleviate the built-up tension.

Koharu frowned. "But she needs to be passed-"

"I'm more than certain she will be passed by the Wise Woman."

At the mention of the Wise Woman, Koharu huffed. She grabbed an oriental fan from the folds of her clothes, snapped it open and started fanning herself. "The Wise Woman is an old bat."

Homura rolled his eyes. "You merely insulted the her plans to have each political government of the nations turn in an total of their-"

"I was showing concern for the future generations!" Koharu hissed. "And why on earth must we report to her of all people?"

"She is the Wise Woman who helped us prosper when the Earth was nothing but desolation."

"She's a hag with a boorish, sharp tongue."

"As are you."

The three turned to the new voice in the room, none at all surprised by Tsunade's presence.

Koharu's lips pursed in distain. "Tsunade," she greeted impolitely.

Tsunade smiled, ignoring the two as she walked up to Chinatsu. She glanced down at the child-like homework before her and tapped her finger upon it while nodding her head. "So far so good."

"This is nothing. She's not improving." Homura mentioned while standing up. "She needs more work."

"Tomorrow night they will be leaving for the Wise Woman."

Koharu and Homura paused and stared critically at the female Hokage. "So soon?"

Tsunade nodded. "I have already gathered the files of those who are assigned the mission. We need to get the confirmation from the Wise Woman as soon as possible, because if we don't, we will be at a disadvantage. We already know she's important in Madara's game, but we need to know if she is truly a Senju."

"What matters if she's a Senju?" Koharu asked. "We already know that Madara wants her for her attraction with the tailed beasts."

"Because if she's Senju Hashirama, then we must protect her five times the effort."

"But we can already tell she's his reincarnation! Why need a confirmation? This would be a waste of a mission and money!"

"Because Uchiha Madara is in this game!" Tsunade yelled. She ignored Chinatsu who plastered herself back against her seat as Tsunade leaned forward on the desk towards the elders. "Don't you think this is too easy? Why in the world do we have a reincarnation of a Senju on our laps? Why isn't he getting her immediately?" Tsunade cleared her throat. "What if this is a hoax?"

"What?"

"Think about it. When Orochimaru invaded Konohagakure, teaming alongside of Sunagakure, didn't he use the Nidaime's forbidden jutsu and revive the dead?"

"Yes," Homura said slowly.

"And who did he revive?" Tsunade pressed.

"Shodaime and Nidaime." Koharu answered, her brows coming down together. "What is this all supposed to lead to?"

"What happened then?" Tsunade said, tapping the wooden table with her red painted nail. "The Sandaime sacrificed himself and took Shodaime and Nidaime's spirit with him, sealing them for good. He sealed them so that nobody could ever raise their bodies from the ground. Nobody."

Homura and Koharu fell silent, mulling over this piece of information.

"The beast, Matatabi, mentioned how she came from a different time." Homura started. "Chinatsu came from a time far back. Hashirama was Chinatsu's reincarnation."

"If they do share the same spirit, doesn't that mean Chinatsu shouldn't be alive? Much less conscious? Her spirit should've immediately locked within the Shinigami of Sandaime's Fuinjutsu: Shiki Fujin…the Dead Demon Consuming Seal." Tsunade turned to look at Chinatsu who was doodling on her piece of paper. "We cannot be one-hundred percent sure that she is the reincarnation, but she could be, don't get me wrong. If she is," Tsunade sighed. "What could her purpose possibly be?"

Homura was quiet. He nodded as he listened to all of Tsunade's points. "You are correct, Tsunade, but then again there are flaws to your theory."

"This trip is a necessity." Tsunade pointed out.

It was tough for the elders to agree with the Hokage of Konohagakure. But when they came to the conclusion, their stubborn minds yielded to Tsunade's wishes.

Koharu looked at the small woman perched on the chair, drawing nonsense on the piece of paper. As much as she wanted to snap her ruler once more at the girl, she held herself back.

What is she to this twisted game of Madara's?

"It is a necessity."

**I AM ALMOST HEEAAAAALED. **

**Oh, goodness. I did not think I was ever going to get rid of that bug. I continued writing and writing as I'm holed up in my room. There is pretty much nothing else to do while I wait for school to start once again. All I'm doing is watching movies and tending to my Jurassic Park app. I created a new story! I'm hoping that it'll turn somewhere :DD**

**Here's another chapter! Okay, okay, I know it's pretty annoying the way Chinatsu keeps crying for home, but come ooooooon! I'm pretty sure if I was dumped in the middle of nowhere, I would be wailing for my mom! Hahaha. **

**The romance between Kakashi and Chinatsu will take a while, but it will get there!**

**Any questions, please ask!**

**Thank you my reviewers!**

**invisible-gurl **nevvy _Riialuvsanime_ **kid23jk7** Eternal Cat Moon _Brooklyn-nyc_ **TalaxVampirella** Thomas Drovin _Undertaker's Hattress_ **Voxytoo** dizzydani666

**ochibi911 – **I'm glad that my update made you happy! :D I know the feeling, haha! Oh my goodness, you make me laugh! I'm here laughing all alone! B'aw, I'm glad you're enjoying my story! BAHAHA! "Snot rocket!" Some people don't believe it, but every review is important to me. I not only shamelessly swim in them (no matter the number), but I read all of them and enjoy every single word! :3

**Guest – **thank you! Here's the next chapter! :DDD

**Verdigurl – **YAY! Here's another one, too! Hahahaha!


	16. Preparation

**Chapter 16: Preparation**

Tsunade stared at the files on her desk, giving them a hard look before nodding. She turned to her secondary post ANBUs. "Fetch the following: Hatake Kakashi, Yamato, Namiashi Raidou, and Shiranui Genma. Ask them to report to me immediately."

Along with the elders' discussion about the carefully chosen group, Tsunade had finalized the documents that were written about said mission.

As the Hokage and the elders anticipated for the appearance of the decided, Chinatsu was off to the side, sighing every so often. She leaned forward on the chair, kicking out her legs much like a child full of boredom. Chinatsu closed her eyes as she mused, wondering why she was in this room with the tenacious blond woman once again. Was it indubitably necessary for her to be present? She didn't understand more than half the things that were discussed anyhow.

The sound of an air particle exploding in the room immediately grasped her attention.

Chinatsu sat up straight at the sound, blinking her eyes as smoke dissipated to reveal a man.

"Hokage-sama," the man bowed to the woman.

She was…very important to this third world country, Chinatsu assessed.

Tsunade nodded towards Genma. "In a few moments, when the others have arrived, I will be explaining the mission."

Genma nodded, throwing an inconspicuous wink towards the Hokage's apprentice before his eyes bugged out like saucers. "Oi! It's you!"

Chinatsu leaned all the way against the back of her chair as she tried to angle herself away from the straw-chewing Hill Billy. "…Hi," she said shyly, smiling warily due to her precious comfort zone being invaded into by the inbred.

"I recognize you! This is—this is—!"

Genma's mouth continued to move as nonsense gasps came out of the hole. The room was quiet, including the glaring elders, but Genma didn't notice as he finally realized that the woman haunting Kakashi's home was before him, in the flesh.

"That is your charge." Koharu frowned. Her lips pinched at the sight of one of the Hokage's Elite guards gaping at the woman with a disturbed expression.

Yamato, who appeared in the room after Genma, bowed formally to the Hokage and elders before addressing the woman, "Are we also—"

"Everything," Tsunade stressed. "…Everything will be discussed as soon as everyone arrives. No questions."

Genma stepped away from Chinatsu, much to her relief, and backed up into Yamato. He whispered something most likely lewdly, in Chinatsu's opinion, to the wood technique user that caused the man to ferociously glare at him. Genma merely smiled sheepishly before shrugging helplessly as if the disgusting thoughts roiling through his head couldn't be helped.

Chinatsu folded her hands over her lap, twisting her fingers about nervously as her heart started to pick up the pace. She knew whatever was going on was to concern her. All she wished was that she wasn't to be thrown in a dungeon once again. She sighed, ignoring Kakashi and another man walk into the room as she thought about how much she missed that darn blue cat.

Tsunade nodded to the others, and within a split second, they filed up a line before her desk.

"Hokage-sama," they saluted.

Once they've eased position, Tsunade straightened up. "This mission is an A-Rank mission. You will be traveling for three days, disguised as merchants and civilians until you've reached Sunagakure. Usually, the journey would take less than a day to complete, but because not only Orochimaru, but also Uchiha Madara want your charge, it is important for this team to stay low. You will traverse with a caravan heading towards Sunagakure for trade. The caravan will come close to the village's outskirts at midnight for rest. You will create a story and join the group with permission."

The hard glint in her eye made the soldiers of the leaf village straighten a tad bit more as the hairs of their arms rose to the demand of Tsunade's voice. "It is a necessity to walk along with the caravan. For any reason they do reject you, this mission is an immediate failure and will need to be reassigned and re-discussed, which I hope will never come to that conclusion."

"Is that understood?" Koharu asked sharply.

"Hai!"

The Hokage cleared her throat. "Your charge is Chinatsu. Your mission is contact Chiyo in Sunagakure and discuss about the possibilities of the whereabouts of the Wise Woman. From the diaries of the Senju clan, we have pinpointed that she is North of the desert. You will need the permission of the Kazekage to explore the regions. This scroll will validate your presence for the first half of the mission."

There was a scroll with a red ribbon wrapped around it on the table.

"Once given pass by the Kazekage, find Chiyo, a retired counselor of Sunagakure. There had been rumors that the Wise Woman helped Chiyo formulate poison thirty years ago when Sunagakure was at its weakest. She may still hold contact."

Her golden eyes slid towards Kakashi's lazy ones. "If contact is possible and made with the Wise Woman, ask her about Chinatsu and her bloodline. As soon as you have a result, send it to me as soon as possible."

Kakashi nodded. "I will send my ninken."

The basic explanation of the mission was over. However, there were still a few more details missing about their charge.

"The woman sitting on the chair there is Chinatsu, your charge. She has an interesting talent, which includes two more rather unique additions to your group, as much as I discourage it." Tsunade stared hard into the eyes of her soldier. "The tailed beasts, who are known as Matatabi and Shukaku, will be summoned from time to time at random to assure themselves that Chinatsu is within safe hands."

Genma would have staggered back had the elders not been in the same room. "T-tailed beasts?" he exclaimed.

"Yes. Because of her talent, she is aimed and targeted by the Akatsuki, Orochimaru and Uchiha Madara. It is important, immensely important, that you do not lose her. I would have added more to the mission, but it is important to lay low."

"You have one more to add." Koharu said abruptly.

Tsunade turned to the old woman in confusion. "Excuse me?"

Koharu cleared her throat. "I have emphasized more than once how important education is. I want Chinatsu to continue learning the language, even through her journey. Your unruly shinobis are unfit for the job. So, I wish to assign Ebisu to the group."

"The group needs to keep a low profile."

"One more is nothing. Add him." Homura said. "We would have finished half of the entire lesson the past three days but she is an illiterate fool. She cannot learn anything!"

Yamato looked at the elders questionably. Serves them right. And they had mentioned Iruka's teaching as meager.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and was highly tempted to disagree but held herself back. She grudgingly agreed that Chinatsu was in need of education. Perhaps, it will do her good. "Fine, he will be added."

Gemma groaned inwardly. No one liked that conservative man on his or her team. No one! Hell, everybody preferred Maito Gai over him!

"Any questions?"

When none of the men voiced their words, Tsunade's lips pinched as she nodded. "Very well, you will all head out at twenty-two hundred. You're all dismissed excluding you two."

All four men bowed at her before dispersing. All except for Yamato and Kakashi.

Tsunade hummed for a moment, closing her eyes as she imagined herself for a moment, away from all this stress, gambling and drinking to her days end. That was the life she was never going to come in contact again sadly. She sighed heavily and opened her honey eyes. "I want you two to continue her training. I realize how risky this is of me asking you but I want her to gain experience in fighting."

"With everyone who's after her, it'll give our positions away, Hokage-sama." Yamato stated, shaking his head at the mere thought of teaching Chinatsu without the safety of the village's borders.

"I know, but it's a necessity." Tsunade glanced at Kakashi who seemed to be studying her strategically. "She needs to learn how to defend herself. Do target practice during the night, away from the traders. Once you're within Sunagakure, use your one-day of rest and investigation to train her with chakra. Other than that, I want her...I need her to learn." As much as she attempted to disclose the desperation in her voice, it was not lost to them.

Yet they did not question her, including the elders.

"We shall do our best." Kakashi said.

Yamato nodded along side of his sempai.

Her pale hand waved out the window. "Go and prepare for the mission. Chinatsu will meet the team at the gates. You're dismissed."

Yamato threw a small glance at Chinatsu sitting down, much like a child, before disappearing after Kakashi.

Chinatsu stared at the spot Yamato vanished from. She turned to the blond woman and her demon teachers with a questioning face. They didn't bother conversing with her as they talked in hushed tones. It was irritating how they pushed her to learn the language only to exclude her from all conversations. In some ways, it helped. She would quietly repeat their words beneath her breath, practicing her pronunciation and fluidity.

"...She is the reincarnation of Senju Hashirama," Chinatsu repeated after the old woman, not understanding a single thing she was repeating. "This S-Rank mission is...d-dangerous?"

Damn, some words were just tough on the mouth.

And suddenly there was a child standing before her.

"Who are you?" Konohamaru asked rather brusquely.

Chinatsu sat up straight, looking at the child with curious eyes. He seemed to be in elementary school. His lanky body and the definition of his baby face told Chinatsu that this boy was young. Not only was that but his rude manners alongside of his crazed outfit (much like the rest of the people in the world here) the epitome of a tween.

"Back away, brat," Tsunade said, shaking her head at Konohamaru's actions.

"Back away, brat," Chinatsu repeated like a parrot.

Konohamaru whipped his head back to Chinatsu, his eyes wide with astonished anger. "Oi!" He pointed his finger at Chinatsu. The corner of his lips pulled downwards. "Who you calling a 'brat', bitch?"

Ebisu, who had been in a quiet discussion with the elders, immediately flew into action. He revved his hand back, charging the ligament with chakra before slapping the back of Konohamaru's head to kingdom come. "Konohamaru! What did I say about those disgusting vocabulary terms you've learned from Uzumaki? That is shameful! A revolting habit for the grandson-"

"Yeah, yeah, old man, I got it," Konohamaru hissed between his clenched teeth, gritting them as he glared menacingly at Chinatsu. "Who the hell is she anyways? I've never seen the bitch—_her_ before!" he quickly corrected himself as Ebisu's eyes flamed with fire.

"Her name is Chinatsu." Tsunade stood, sauntering towards the trio. "And you will be making purchases for her. She came from a different village and needs help communicating with the merchants. And since you're so well at speaking with people, I decided you can be of some help, Konohamaru." Tsunade turned to Ebisu. "You know what she will need, Ebisu-san. I leave the judgment in your hands."

"The hell I am, hag!" Konohamaru sneered as he crossed his arms over his chest. "She's got hands and legs. She can do it herself!"

Ebisu bowed to Tsunade multiple times, laughing sheepishly. "I apologize for my young lords words. He's currently harboring hurt feelings from another classmate who had rejected his proposal-"

"Shut it!"

Tsunade sighed. "Leave Moegi alone. I want her to concentrate on her taijutsu. She has the sloppiest form I've ever seen."

Konohamaru yelled in utter frustration. He pulled his hair furiously as he walked out of the room.

"Konohamaru! I want you waiting for me outside the building-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there!" The boy snapped before slamming the door shut behind him.

Chinatsu watched the exchange between the man with the spectacles and the blond woman as they communicated amongst each other. Once or twice the elders would take their turns and put in a word or two. Once they've finished, they were silence. When he stood before her and gestured her to stand, Chinatsu glanced at the woman first, who nodded in encouragement. "Hello," she greeted cautiously.

"Hello, Chinatsu-san, I am Ebisu."

"Ebisu."

"Ebisu-san," Ebisu stressed the importance of the generic prefix. When she corrected herself, Ebisu straightened and smiled. Surely this wouldn't be hard at all! He turned to the Hokage, fixed his glasses atop of his nose and nodded. "I will assist her in any way you deem, Hokage-sama." He bowed to Tsunade and to the elders of the village before urging Chinatsu to do the same. Once she had, they both exited the room and walked towards the entrance of the building.

Chinatsu walked alongside of the dark-clothed man. Her eyes wandered about.

"Chinatsu-san, I would like you to meet Sarutobi Konohamaru," Ebisu extended a hand towards the sully boy, introducing the two. "Konohamaru-san, this is Chinatsu."

"Che." Konohamaru turned his head away.

Ebisu's eyebrow twitched. "Konohamaru! Manners!"

Chinatsu slowly bowed, eyeing Ebisu's face expression for any changes to indicate whether or not if she was doing it correctly. "Hello, Konohamaru…Konohamaru-san."

"Let's get going already!" Konohamaru twirled around and stomped off. The dirt beneath each foot sank an inch into the ground.

Chinatsu turned to Ebisu.

"Forgive me, Chinatsu-san. Konohamaru isn't in well spirits this morning." Ebisu shook his head from side to side. "But that's not the problem! Let us start on your vocabulary for now!"

The walk towards the middle of the village was interesting to Chinatsu. It took her a while to adjust and recognize that the man, Ebisu, wanted to teach her words. When she would incorrectly pronounce it, he would break the word into pieces and have her repeat the sounds his mouth produced until she was able to grasp the correction and fix her mistakes. As soon as he was ensured she learned the word, he would move on to another object then develop a miniature quiz.

It was completely different tactic from the old couples'. It didn't stress Chinatsu out. And when she made a mistake, she wasn't disparaged on the spot. She was corrected and moved on.

She liked it.

"What is that?" Ebisu pointed to a flower off to the side of the dusty road.

Chinatsu paused in her walk, staring at the flower with her lips pinched and eyebrows furrowed. She hummed beneath her breath. "F…floor-a."

"Flower."

"Floh-"

"Flah."

"Flah…wer. Flower."

Ebisu nodded and continued walking. He pointed to a tree and she immediately answered, feeling victorious as he nodded in satisfaction with each word coming from her mouth.

"Take this." Ebisu handed her a beige pouch.

Suddenly, the teenager appeared out of nowhere, dropping from the sky. He shocked Chinatsu. She yelped and staggered back in surprise.

Konohamaru rolled his eyes at Chinatsu's actions. "How much money did the hag give us to blow?"

"The Hokage is not a hag, Konohamaru! And this money isn't for us to spend fruitlessly! It is for the benefit of Chinatsu-san!" Ebisu exploded. He unaware of the way Chinatsu stared at him with wide eyes of astonishment as he continued to scold the grandson of Sandaime.

Konohamaru groaned. "Fine! Come on, let's get this done!"

"I will be gathering necessities for Chinatsu's upcoming mission." Ebisu patted the common ninja traveler's bag he held in his hand. "Help Chinatsu purchase some civilian clothes. I have given Chinatsu a pouch of the money. Be sure to help her understand currency." Before Konohamaru could have a chance to protest, Ebisu quickly dispersed.

"Not fair!" Konohamaru screamed out in the open.

Chinatsu glanced all around her, looking for the disappeared man. She didn't have a chance to call him out before her wrist was grabbed at roughly. "Come on, let's go."

She followed the ten-year-old boy, holding onto his hand and looking around wildly at the different vendors and shops. Chinatsu was busy wondering at the different setting that she didn't hear the boy muttering in front of her.

"Damn, that asshole. Why the hell does he follow me everywhere, dammit. I'm not a kid! But he doesn't understand that! He still thinks he's my baby sitter and shit!" Konohamaru growled, his angry eyes darting from side to side to catch a glimpse of any clothes that would be decent for the bitch he was dragging around.

Konohamaru was an angry boy.

Chinatsu hissed when the grip on her wrist became too strong. "Ouch!" she cried out, slapping the boy's hand from hers. She held the reddening wrist to her chest and glared at the boy. _"What the hell is your problem?" _

Konohamaru merely rolled his eyes and pointed off to a stall. "Just go buy some fucking clothes."

Chinatsu shook her head as he stalked off. _"If I didn't know any better, he's having girl issues." _Ignoring the fuming boy, she walked towards the stall he pointed to and browsed through their collection. Trying to pay no attention to the fact that this world's fashion was nothing similar compared to hers, she tried to immerse herself into their eyes and perceive the situation differently.

She picked up a few articles that pleased her tastes and moved onto the next stall, after paying the merchant, without the boy.

The merchants were very kind to her ignorance. They helped her identify prices and understand the meaning of each bill and coin in the small beige pouch. One old woman was even nice enough to test Chinatsu until she had a better understanding of money in this world.

There was one greedy man who attempted to cheat Chinatsu, but he was quickly dealt with a swift smack of the old woman's cane.

People in this world are nice, Chinatsu thought; especially in this village.

A small glint caught Chinatsu's eyes. She squinted at it, turning to a table full of different hair ornaments. The accessories instantaneously caught her attention, drawing her in like a moth to fire. One of Chinatsu's guilty pleasures is accessories. And from what she can see, they were so cute!

She cooed over the different hair pins.

They were just adorable!

A huge white bow off to the side entranced her. Chinatsu picked it up and pinned it in her hair, tilting her head from side to side as she posed in the mirror.

God dammit, why can't she just buy everything on this table?

"Here, this looks prettier." A random girl picked up a yellow flower and gently pinned it in Chinatsu's hair, just behind her ear.

Chinatsu turned to the mirror and made her final decision of purchasing the hair accessory. She turned to the girl and couldn't help but stare at her hair. "Um, thank you," Chinatsu managed to say.

Moegi giggled at the heavily accented foreigner. "You're welcome!"

"Moegi-chan!"

Straight away, the sweet demeanor of the girl turned sour. She pursed her lips, turning to the nasty boy with a sassy attitude. "What do you want, Konohamaru?"

Konohamaru gaped at Moegi's mean look, and couldn't help but feel hurt. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What, now I can't walk around here?"

"No! It's just-"

"'It's just' what?"

Chinatsu blinked rapidly, watching the battle between the tweens like a tennis match. She didn't understand what had happened, but the girl punched Konohamaru in the face before walking away like a queen. Chinatsu stood there helplessly, watching the boy pick himself off of the ground with a reddening cheek.

"Shut up!" Konohamaru yelled at Chinatsu.

She held up her hands.

Konohamaru was just about to turn and run off again when Moegi appeared. She growled ferociously, stomping towards Konohamaru. She gripped him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him close.

Anticipating a head butt, Konohamaru's eyes clenched shut.

But instead, soft lips met his cheek.

Konohamaru opened his eyes were held in a stupor, his face slowly bleeding with red as Moegi ran off without a backwards look. And while Konohamaru held a hand to his cheek, Chinatsu was glancing back and forth between the tweens.

What the hell just happened?

"Come on, let's get out of here!"

Chinatsu diligently followed Konohamaru. She turned to the sky, frowning when she noticed it was getting late. Didn't she have practice with Yamato and Ga-ga-ji? And didn't she have more lessons with old couple? It wasn't like them to suddenly break their routine as short as it was.

Ebisu, who was waiting at the end of the street, waved at them. "Did you help her as asked, Konohamaru-san?"

"Yeah," Konohamaru said, walking past Ebisu as he was in too much of a daze to concentrate for too long.

"Let me see," Ebisu said, holding out his hands to Chinatsu's new purchases as he placed a stuffed bag on the floor.

Ebisu quickly swished through the articles of clothes and picked two that seemed to satisfy his eyes. "You will be wearing this tonight."

Konohamaru, who was off to the side, gave his mentor a revolted look. "Ano…"

"Hm?"

"…Is Chinatsu your girlfriend or something?"

Blood spurted out of Ebisu's nose. Chinatsu cried out, jumping back from the surprise of it. She panicked at the sight of blood and quickly started blabbering in her own language. As she tried to help the man, Ebisu skittered out of her reach and held a hand to his blood-pouring nose.

"_You need to tilt your head back!" _Chinatsu advised, attempting to help the poor man.

Ebisu shook his head. "Ah, Chinatsu-san, I'm fine! I'm fine!" He turned to Konohamaru to see him giggling and lashed out. "She is not my girlfriend!"

"Suuuuure," Konohamaru said, wiggling his little pinky in the air.

Chinatsu who was ignorant of the language, was not ignorant of what the boy was saying. She quickly jumped back, blinking rapidly at what the boy was implying.

The addition of Konohamaru's wiggling pinky and Ebisu's bloodied nose delivered an outcome to Chinatsu's mind.

She stepped away from the man, her face turning red at the thought of it.

…That was gross.

The two quarreled amongst each other, yelling and throwing their fists in the air like juvenile children. Chinatsu satisfied herself by watching off from the side as the color of their faces turned to an interesting color of tomatoes. Turning away from them, she glanced up at the sky and tilted her head in a questioning manner.

It was getting late.

The sun was already setting down, morphing into an orange-red color as it inched down.

Did she not have lessons today?

"Chinatsu-san, let us go."

Chinatsu turned towards Ebisu and followed him back to the tower she had been living within the past couple of days.

When they met with the President of the village, Ebisu exchanged a couple words. Chinatsu watched wordlessly as Konohamaru threw a tantrum, screaming at the blond woman until she had him escorted out by two masked men.

"Jeez, you'd think he'd be happy with a different caretaker." Tsunade snorted. "It'll just be for a while, Konohamaru-"

"I DON'T NEED A BABYSITTER!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes as he was dragged out of the office by her personal ANBUS. "Now, Ebisu, the rest of your team will meet you at the gates before midnight. Hatake Kakashi is captain. For any questions you may have ask him to quickly debrief you. Anything you need?"

Ebisu saluted the Hokage. "No, Hokage-sama!"

She nodded. Her eyes slid over to Chinatsu who was staring out the window of the building. "Make sure to keep a close eye on her."

"Will do!"

"You're dismissed."

Chinatsu turned when Ebisu tugged on her sleeve. She followed him out, after bowing to the blond woman (as Ebisu directed her to), and frowned at how fast the day had gone. Shivers ran up and down her spine, chilling her skin to the cool night weather.

Ebisu had brought her to a small humble apartment and asked her to change to the clothing she had bought recently. When she showed up, he quickly secured and fixed any mistakes she had done with her fittings and nodded in approval. Then he disappeared and reappeared with something similar to what she donned.

"Alright, let's go," Ebisu said as he handed her the burlap.

Chinatsu grabbed it from his hand and slung it over her head as Ebisu had done and walked out of the apartment.

They both walked in the dark night of the village quietly.

Her heart was beating quickly. What was going on? Why was she out so late? It wasn't normal at all for Chinatsu to be cruising at night. They didn't allow her. As soon as she finished her studies with the elder couple and her training with Yamato and 'Ga-ga-ji', she would be walked back into her temporary room and be locked inside. From time to time, Kitty would visit, but other than that, it seemed as if the people were trying to protect her from something.

At any little movement she made, everybody's eyes were on her.

She just didn't understand.

Ebisu and Chinatsu approached the gigantic gates. She took her time noticing the intricate designs and colors of the gates, despite it being dark, and didn't notice the group of people huddled near the entrance.

When she did, Chinatsu's gait came to a slow walk as soon as she noticed dark figures standing at the gate of the village. Her eyes narrowed in confusion, head turning from side to side as the empty streets whistled with nothing.

Why were their people standing there in the dark?

Nervousness crept within the veins of her soul.

As if sensing her change of mood, Ebisu stopped and turned towards Chinatsu. "It's okay."

"It's okay," Chinatsu repeated, clenching the burlap strap within her fist hard. "It's okay," she said once again.

Gradually, she started walking again, but slowly. She felt Ebisu push her forth by the small of her back, but paid no attention to that. It wasn't until they were too close to the dark figures did she stop and press back against his hand like an anxious horse.

"Chinatsu?"

The sound of Yamato's voice broke her from her fear. "Y-yamato?" she called out.

The figures in the dark walked forth into the light.

Her heart lightened from petrifying fear and smiled a bit in relief. "Yamato!" she called out again and ran to him. She wrapped her arms around him, tucking her head in his chest as the comfort of safety and security blanketed over her shoulders.

Yamato smiled, patting her shoulders. As soon as she had released him, he angled his body to the team. "Chinatsu, this is Raidou and Genma."

Chinatsu murmured hello beneath her breath and bowed to them.

"Ooooohhhh! So this is Chinatsu!" Genma turned to Kakashi and smiled a perverted grin. "I didn't know she was so good-looking, Kakashi."

Kakashi shrugged. "Any woman in your eyes is a target."

Genma smiled and sauntered towards Chinatsu who was huddling close to Yamato. "Chinatsu-ch_aaaaa_n~"

Chinatsu turned and gave Genma a very disturbed look. "…Hai?"

Before Genma could even whip up a word or two, Raidou sighed. "Let's be on our way. Time is-"

"Time is money," the whole group said in a chorus.

"If I had a nickel for every time you said that…" Genma started.

"Ma, ma, Raidou is on the right track." Kakashi smoothed out the wrinkles from his civilian clothes, adjusting the bandana tied around the bottom half of his face. "We should leave now to catch the merchants. Any second later and they'll suspect us."

"It's not like they're not going to. It's night!" Yamato commented.

Ebisu cleared his throat. "It matters not! We shall persuade them!"

Chinatsu studied the men converse amongst them. Yamato and Kakashi were dressed similarly to Ebisu. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, as she had never seen them in any other clothes than the green flak jacket and navy khakis. It was peculiar why they had chosen those sets of clothes and why now of all times.

Unless….

Were they escaping?

Her spine straightened like a snap of a belt. She inconspicuously glanced around the dark, squinting her eyes to check whether or not if they had been followed. Though she had no idea of what was going on, Chinatsu had an inkling that they were not returning either at all or not so soon.

"The first half is to get to Sunagakure, the second half is to find the Wise Woman and determine if she's of the Senju clan," Chinatsu repeated beneath her breath unconsciously from the group behind her as she stared into the dark.

She didn't realize it was deadly quiet until she turned to see the men staring at her.

"Eh?" She jumped in shock, blinking rapidly as she felt their eyes assessing her.

Kakashi frowned. "It's best if we discussed about this when she's asleep."

"Did she understand what we said?" Raidou asked cautiously, unsure about the woman they were to guard and guide.

"No, most likely not. Chinatsu likes to repeat the phrases around her to get a feel of the language. Isn't that right, Chinatsu?" Yamato smiled, patting her head like a puppy.

Chinatsu grumbled, catching a few words from Yamato before swatting at his hand. "We go out?" she asked.

Yamato nodded. "We're-"

"'Are we going out' is the correct phrase, Chinatsu-san." Ebisu turned to Chinatsu and chided. "Repeat after me. Are we going out?"

"Ah wee goin' out?"

"Are we going out?"

"Are we going out?"

"Good!"

Raidou rolled his eyes. "Let's hurry it up and leave before the leaves start to sing."

It was hell.

Dear god, when were they going to stop?

From what she'd gathered from the group, they were camping. She asked them questions in their language, as broken as it was, and received short simple answers. Not that it had bothered her, but it felt like they were attempting to hide something.

Either that or she just didn't grasp what they were saying.

Chinatsu tugged at the collar of her long sleeved shirt. She felt sweat beading at her forehead. How long has it been? An hour? Two?

During the duration of their walk, the men communicated very little. Other than that, it was heavily eerie.

What kind of camping trip was this exactly?

As the group continued to walk, off in the far distance, a member of their village had snuck off into the night when the life was dead.

Like a sly fox, Danzo transported himself to a specific place at the outskirts of the village and waited no longer than two minutes before the party had arrived.

He turned to Orochimaru, tilting his chin higher as if to decree his status to the snake. "I have the information you asked of."

"Do please tell me," Orochimaru said, his yellow eyes piercing the bandaged man throughout the darkness.

"They're going to Sunagakure, to find the Wise Woman, as foolish and as impossible that is. The woman you're interested in is within the group, traveling amongst a caravan."

"Excellent," Orochimaru murmured rather happily. "I will have the antidote for your arm ready in two days."

Danzo nodded and watched the snake slink off.

His hand subconsciously clenched. It throbbed and fought against the very flesh of his arms in rebelliousness.

Greenery grew off to the side of the grass.

Danzo's body was in disarray. And he will not have this weakness disable him no longer, not even to the exception of that horrid girl.

**I seriously cannot wait to write the next chapter. All these ideas are flowing through my head and I'm going crazy x3 yay!**

**Any Q's feel free to ask!**

**Thank you my reviewers! ;D Your reviews make me feel squishy and fuzzy inside :3 **

**Kenpachi's Vixen** Akari . Wolf . Princess _Morgan Lae Faye_ **Hime-Sayu** invisible-gurl _Vivagrl_ **xiMenagerie** Thomas Drovin _Eternal Cat Moon_ RandomCitizen **Riialuvsanime**

**Verdigurl – **I'm glad it makes you happy! :D I'm happy writing it!

**Ochibi911 – **That I am! But it is not only for the readers pleasure, but mine also. I have fun writing and to share it with others who enjoy it just as much makes me happy :D Thank goodness I've healed! Stuffy nose on the first day of school is no bueno D: Yes, yes, Chinatsu finally realized she's never going to see her parents. A sad thing, really :c Hahaha, I'm just as pump to write the next chapters! It's going to be one hell of a ride xD Your reviews are awesome! I love them to death :DDD


	17. Travel

**Chapter 17: Travel **

Chinatsu's eyes snapped open. It was dark and cold.

She frowned, experimentally shuffling from side to side in her makeshift of a bed. Her frown deepened as the odd feeling of sticky, warm fluid rubbed between her thighs. Chinatsu groaned, sitting up in her sleeping bag-like thing and flipped open the blankets only to gasp rather loudly at her state. She quickly covered herself, face glowing like a firefly as her brown eyes darted from side to side.

Dear god, she was on her period!

It couldn't get any worse than this.

But yes, yes it can.

Yamato, who had heard her gasp, immediately woke up to the sound of it. But that was not all; the other well-trained ninjas did as well.

Raidou, Ebisu and Genma were in a crouch, surveying their surroundings while Kakashi merely shook his head in quiet amusement.

Yamato kneeled next to red-faced Chinatsu. He could tell she was embarrassed, but he didn't know what of. "What's wrong, Chinatsu?" he whispered quietly, as to not awaken the others sleeping in their respected areas.

Chinatsu gulped audibly, nervously glancing from side to side as she held the blanket close to her chest. She leaned close to Yamato's ear and whispered quickly and furiously.

"What? I didn't get that."

She heard 'Ga-ga-ji' chuckling and just wished fiercely that the ground would just swallow her whole. "Legs…red…." The blanket muffled her voice.

"What?" Yamato asked once again, confused by the woman.

Kakashi, whose nose was very well developed (much like a dog), muttered quietly. "She's on her menstrual cycle."

"Oh, for god sake's, is this why I'm up three in the morning?" Genma snapped, grumpily burrowing himself within his warm blankets. "No one should be awake at this ungodly hour for some woman's period!"

A merchant's cart off to the side shushed the loudmouth.

Genma merely rolled to his side and closed his eyes, muttering how the world was going to end in his wrath if someone dared to wake him up for a waterfall of blood.

Raidou joined his teammate in his decision and also went back to bed.

Yamato's face glowed in the dark. He awkwardly turned to Kakashi who, too, went back into his bedding, leaving the wooden technique user all alone with a woman and her menstrual cycle.

"I've purchased a some feminine products if this incident ever arose," Ebisu said, clearing this throat. "It should be within the small pockets of the burlap.

Chinatsu ignored everything around her. She wanted to die. Oh gods, this was something a group of men should never even come in contact with. Was there a possibility that that pink-haired girl can punch the earth and allow it to swallow Chinatsu into the oblivion?

"Here." Yamato's voice was heard through the dark. He nudged an object into her hand.

Chinatsu grabbed it and picked up her head from her arms. She squinted in the dark.

Where can she change…?

Forced to acknowledge her dilemma, Yamato sighed and stood. He stretched here and there, crackling a few bones and stretching some wonderful muscles before lending a hand to Chinatsu. Instead of taking his hand, Chinatsu stood up and wrapped her blanket around her as a shield.

They walked a couple yards away from the group.

Chinatsu was ushered towards a bush. "Eh?" she screamed, turning to Yamato who was already walking away.

Well…they were camping, no?

Chinatsu groaned and quickly changed into the pad Yamato had graciously bestowed upon her and into the extra underwear she snagged.

The morning couldn't come earlier enough.

Now, Chinatsu, like every other woman, suffered massively from the menstrual cycle Mother Nature knighted female kind with.

Throughout the journey, Chinatsu was constantly wincing and moaning, praying and muttering in every breath for a Pamprin or Midol. But because she was stuck in this godforsaken world, she was denied the very product that saved men from a woman's blind rage. From time to time, she caught herself snapping and growling at any of the men that came near her with their annoying need to comfort her. God dammit, she wasn't a dog, for crying out loud! She can take care of herself!

"_Just leave me alone!"_ Chinatsu viciously narrowed her eyes at Yamato who kept urging her to jump on his back.

She was not a child!

Chinatsu gave him, and the other men, the cold shoulder and walked forth along the wagons. When Ebisu attempted to teach her some more Japanese phrases, she snarled at him till he fell back in line.

When they had joined a traveling group, Chinatsu took this camping trip as a traveling one.

Horses pulled at the wagons, children laughed and giggled as they played alongside of the caravan; men and women chattered, and teenagers frolicked, but they never stopped walking towards their destination.

Chinatsu shuddered as one of the nastiest feelings in the world happened.

A woman popped her head from one of the wagons and blinked at Chinatsu's face of disgust and pain. "Oi! Are you okay?" she piped.

Chinatsu opened her eyes, and looked at the woman who seemed like a godsend angel.

"She's alright." Kakashi said. He stooped down to Chinatsu's level and patted her back. "Can you keep walking?"

"What's wrong with her?"

The multiple faces of red answered the woman's question. She giggled and looked at Kakashi. "How about you help her in here? I can roll out some blankets and let her sleep for a while. God knows my husband suffers whenever I'm close to my monthly flow."

Kakashi nodded. "Thank you."

Chinatsu felt Kakashi gently grasp her by the upper arm and guided her towards the woman who called out to the man driving the wagon. In an instant, she was helped into the wagon and pushed towards a rather comfortable-looking pile of blankets. Without more ado, Chinatsu threw herself in the blankets and closed her eyes.

She disregarded Kaksahi's hand as it smoothed her unkempt hair back, whispering, "sleep" to her ear before leaving the wagon.

The woman graciously left her alone allowing Chinatsu to wallow in her abdominal pains and concentrate on controlling the vicious cramps in her body. Usually, she would have warnings ahead of time before the deed visited her, and when it did, her cramps would never be as malicious as now. But when the warnings weren't delivered, Chinatsu was on a whole different level.

Snuggling deeper into the blankets, the only thing that truly understood her agony, Chinatsu didn't hear the woman approaching her from the side.

"Would you like some tea?"

Chinatsu lifted her head from the pillow and stared at the cup in the woman's hands. The woman once again asked her question and almost seemed like she was gesturing her to take it.

Sitting up, Chinatsu gingerly accepted the small white cup and held it to her face. She stared at the tea before glancing up at the woman.

"It's good for the cramps. Drink it up!" she said cheerfully.

Chinatsu grumbled about the woman's attitude (she couldn't help but be as sour as she can) and sipped at the tea.

Being a non-tea lover, Chinatsu found the minty drink to be appealing towards her taste. She thanked the woman shyly and continued to sip at it.

"You must be a foreigner!" The woman made herself comfortable opposite of Chinatsu. "Where are you from?"

"Uhh…house." Chinatsu said.

The woman giggled and shook her head. "No, no, silly! Where do you live? I've heard from your friends that you've came from far away."

"Yes."

Laughter escaped from her lips once more. "Alright, alright, I'll give you a break. My name is Michiko. Michiko."

"Ah," Chinatsu recognized what the woman was doing and held a hand to her chest. "My name Chinatsu."

"Hello, Chinatsu," Michiko sipped at her tea. "Are you excited to go to Sunagakure?"

Sunagakure! Ah, she recognized that word!

"The first half is to get to Sunagakure, the second half is to find the-!"

The flap of the wagon lifted open. Yamato's face peered inside and smiled kindly to Michiko and Chinatsu. "Ah, just checking on my sister. Is she behaving herself?"

Michiko nodded. "She's very well-behaved and shy. It's hard to communicate but I can understand." She motioned to the tea Chinatsu was sipping and said, "I have given her some tea for the journey. You never know when a woman needs her cure of pain!"

Concern washed over Yamato's face. "Ah, what type of tea is that?"

"Mint leaves with black tea."

"Do you mind showing me the package? My sister is allergic to many items, unfortunately, and just a cup of anything can throw her into anaphylactic shock."

Michiko gasped aloud and hurried to the front of the wagon.

And while she did that, Yamato turned to Chinatsu and snapped his fingers for attention. Chinatsu looked at him only to find his narrowed eyes. She stared at him when he pressed the length of his index finger to his lips in a sign of silence. When Michiko returned, his kind face appeared.

Chinatsu stared at Yamato in confusion, watching as he communicated with Michiko about the bag of tealeaves.

What had happened?

Why had he done that?

Chinatsu looked away from the two and stared into the depth of her tea. Her mind was muddled with possibilities and imagination from what had just happened. The thought of them truly escaping from the village and blond woman was befuddling but perhaps plausible. But the memory of each man bowing to her in respect made Chinatsu doubt that they were escaping.

Were they escorting her somewhere?

"Okay, I'll be sure she rests enough! The tea will make her sleepy but it won't cause her harm." Michiko smiled kindly.

"Thank you."

Yamato turned to Chinatsu, giving her a small serious look before disappearing.

There was no time to study more about her thoughts. Her vision blurred and eyes drooped low. Michiko had taken the tea from her hands and gently pushed her towards the hoards of blankets. Chinatsu murmured something incoercible, softly sighing as she snuggled deeper into the comforters. Michiko had said something, but Chinatsu, being ignorant and too weary to comprehend, slowly fell into the wispy darkness of sleep as the wagon rocked from side to side, lulling her like a fussy child.

She dreamt.

Her mother's face appeared, along side of her sister.

There was a picnic table decorated with oriental dishes and fish. The trees were bright and flush, waving to the mute sound of the wind.

Though it was a dream, Chinatsu could feel the sun lazily warming her skin. The wind played with her hair, gently tickling her neck with a tease. The smell of the food her mother had courteously made from scraps wafted Chinatsu's senses, causing her stomach to growl like a silent bear. Her mother sat before her while Akane sat next to the older woman.

It was nice.

It was nice until Chinatsu realized she couldn't hear anything.

Chinatsu opened her mouth to call out to her mom only to realize that she couldn't produce a sound. Her mother laughed silently, lightly swapping Akane's shoulder from the bad-mouthed joke.

Akane rolled her eyes, gesturing towards Chinatsu with her chopsticks before making a vulgar motion with her hands at her flat-chest causing her mother to laugh even harder at her youngest daughter's jealous towards her older daughter's bountiful chest.

It was a laugh Chinatsu wanted to hear so badly.

But it wasn't given to her. It was utter silence. It was a silence that could make a person go mad.

Chinatsu stood from the table, tears streaming down her face. She opened her mouth and her eyes clenched shut as she screamed. It was a scream of pure raw desperation; a desperation to be heard and responded to.

The two merely continued to talk to one another, ignoring the small sobbing woman.

Oh gods, what did they sound like?

How did her mother sound like when she was happy? How did she sound like when she was upset? What was her expression like when she was sad?

What about Akane?

How did Akane express herself when she caught Chinatsu eating her cereal? How did Akane sound like when she screamed in frustration at a B+ exam?

Chinatsu held her face in unadulterated horror, collapsing to her knees in the dream.

How could she have forgotten how they sounded like?

Her dream mother and sister turned towards Chinatsu, smiling like they would as if this was any normal day in the world. Their lips moved in speechless words, the corner of their lips lifting upwards in joy despite the obvious dreadfulness Chinatsu's face portrayed.

"Chinatsu,"

Chinatsu gasped and jolted up from her bed. Her wild watery eyes darted from side to side before landing upon Genma who was looking at her in alarm. She ignored his question of concern and looked around, familiarizing herself with the place where she was occupying.

With a shaky sigh, Chinatsu collapsed back upon the blankets and stared up at the clothed ceiling. She wiped her eyes harshly. A groan and sniffle was heard as remembrance of the dream still remained within her memory.

She shook her head from side to side trying to remove traces of it.

"Chinatsu," Kakashi's voice had entered within the wagon.

Kakashi jumped inside the wagon and crouched next to the woman. They had been traveling for five hours and during the extent of it, Chinatsu had been asleep, thankfully. The caravan had reached the borderland of Konohagakure and Sungakure and decided to stop by a lake for dip before they walked into the scorching desert. It was when Michiko had exited from the cart, alerting them of Chinatsu's odd struggles in her dream that they decided to check up on her. Not like they didn't; they always did each hour.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, pulling her back so that she was lying flat on her back. The palm of his hand laid upon her forehead for temperature.

She was burning.

Chinatsu pushed away Kakashi's hand, realizing how hot it was. She coughed and sat up, pulling the collar of her shirt. Jesus, it was stifling hot!

"_Daijou bu desu ka?" _Kakashi asked.

For a second, she didn't recognize what he was saying until the words soaked in. "I okay." Chinatsu said, fanning herself. "Hot."

Kakashi leaned away from her, assessing her profile before nodding in agreement. "Hot." He jumped out of the wagon and extended a hand to her. "Come out."

Chinatsu grimaced at the icky feeling of her body before sliding out of the wagon. Oh my goodness, it was humid! What had happened to the beautiful weather this morning? Why was it so hot and humid? Chinatsu's face of revulsion amused the other men.

"She's not used to the weather, huh?" Genma said, smiling big at Chinatsu's reaction.

"Nope, it seems like not."

Chinatsu looked at Kakashi and Yamato and noticed something was missing. She pointed at Kakashi's forehead. "Where…head? Where head?"

"My head's on my neck." Kakashi answered.

She shook her head from side to side. That wasn't what she was asking. Chinatsu picked up a stick from floor and started drawing the metallic headband on the sand. _"Where's your headband? You know, your head gear thing-ah!"_

Genma's foot came forth and erased her drawing from the ground. And before she could rage on him, Michiko appeared from the other side of the cart. Her face brightened up at the sight of Chinatsu. "Ah, Chinatsu! Let's bathe!"

Ebisu's nose sputtered with blood. He quickly excused himself, avoiding the fierce glare of the wood technique user.

Chinatsu's head cocked to the side. "Bathroom?"

Yamato laughed. "Chinatsu, where's your bag? Go get it and freshen up. You stink." As if to make his point go across, he waved his hand in front of his nose. He yelped as Chinatsu swiftly kick his shin, bouncing on his foot as she stalked off with her bag in hand.

Fuck him. Fuck every male specimen on the planet. They should be castrated! They don't deserve to procreate.

The darkness on her face grew to a point where Michiko was even terrified of approaching the girl.

Chinatsu sighed in frustration, following the sounds of splashing water.

It had taken a while for them to reach their destination. The caravan was parked to the sides of the trees, just a mere twenty to thirty meters from the lake. The blue water sparkled like diamonds, seducing Chinatsu with their coolness.

"Chinatsu-san, here," Michiko unraveled something from her skirts and handed it to the girl.

Thank the lord tampons existed in this world.

Once inserted properly, Chinatsu returned to Michiko who was already in the water. Knowing she had extra undergarments and clothes in her bag, Chinatsu merely stripped her brown Amish-like skirt and tossed away the forest long-sleeved shirt to the side, and walked into the water in her sweat-soaked bra and underwear.

A sigh of blissful satisfaction came from her lips as she melted into the cold water.

This was definitely her heaven.

Off to the opposite side of the lake, the children were running into the waters with their childish screeches of joy. Many of them swam towards the middle of the lake in a race while the others stayed knee deep in the water.

Chinatsu nodded and hummed as Michiko chattered throughout their dip, giving her attention to the woman despite the language barrier. She floated on her back, paddled out to the waters and swam back. Her muscles screamed and begged for her to swim around like she had done back in her school's swim team, but she refused.

A piercing scream erupted Chinatsu's peace.

Michiko pointed up at the trees and Chinatsu followed her finger to see Genma quickly making an exit.

"_Pervert!" _Chinatsu screamed in fury as she pelted one of the rocks at the bottom at the man, relishing in his yelp of pain as the rock hit the target.

"Indecent!" Michiko shuddered in revulsion.

"_Crude man!"_

"Disgusting idiot!" Michiko walked out of the lake, throwing on her clothes with a look of determination on her face. "I'm going to give that man a piece of my mind!"

Chinatsu watched as Michiko stomped into the forest and disappeared. She sighed and can only imagined that the woman was going to rip a new one in Genma. She should head back too unless she wanted to become a prune.

Just as she was reaching for her clothes, screams were heard from the opposite side of the lake.

"Mom! Dad!"

"Help! Help!"

Chinatsu frowned and looked over her shoulder to see the children running about the shoreline of the lake. She continued to watch as some of the children ran through the trees in a panic while the others continued to watch the middle of the lake with a somewhat dreaded expression of fated doom.

"…_Tasukete?" _

What had that word mean again?

"Help…?"

It took a while for Chinatsu to understand, but as soon as it did, she sprang into action.

Chinatsu threw down her clothes and waded into the water quickly. As soon as it was waist deep she dove into the water and started swimming quickly towards the center of the lake.

It had been years since she had last swam competitively and her body groaned as it was forced to remember the harsh training it endured throughout swim season of high school and college. The first one hundred yards was a killer, but after that, Chinatsu's body snapped into familiarity and soon her groaning muscles silenced and allowed Chinatsu to swim faster.

One, two, three, breathe—one, two, three, breathe…

The lake's water was murky and dark, almost driving Chinatsu into frenzy. She prayed she saw the child's body before it was too late.

Her lungs burned for air, but her legs and arms worked quickly and faster.

Forcing her eyes open, Chinatsu looked underwater: everywhere and anywhere. She couldn't see anything until the sunlight streaming through the water reflected off of a small pale hand. Instantly, she dove under and held her breath as she reached for the small hand.

The children watched on with dread, whimpering and crying at the thought of their friend dead. When the strange woman swam for their friends help, they couldn't help but watch in awe as she swam swiftly.

And when she broke the surface, they cheered for her.

Chinatsu couldn't hear the small voices of the children encouraging her to swim to their side of the lake. She couldn't understand their squeaky voices urging her to come and save their friend. All she was concentrated on was the added weight as she fought reach the shore.

Her arms and legs were like noodles at this point. There was even a moment or two when her own head would dunk underwater for long moments, as she was unable to hold both bodies up for so long. And she allowed it to happen so the child wouldn't swallow more water than necessary.

When she reached the sand, Chinatsu tripped and dropped the child. Her hands plunged into the gooey sand, pushing herself up. She staggered up to her exhausted legs and panted as she dragged him to the shore.

Quickly, she assessed the situation. The child lay on his back and was unmoving.

Without delay, she went into CPR rescue.

She tilted his head back, glanced inside his mouth for any objects and then started pumping his chest. 

"_One, two, three, four,"_ she said breathlessly, hovering her body over his with her hands upon one another and pushing against the cavity of the small boy's chest. After her four counts, she tilted his head back and breathed into his mouth.

Once she did it, she repeated her previous actions.

It was the longest moment of her life.

And throughout the whole time, she thought the boy was never going to wake up.

Chinatsu didn't hear the wailing children at her side as she carried on with the CPR. Her arms screamed with misuse as her lungs blazed with abuse. But her twenty-some year old mind butted her body's warning signals aside, focused on the child's life.

His life was more important than hers.

"_Come on!" _she yelled with frustration as she pumped his chest with her bound hands. _"Breathe!"_

The lifeless body of the child merely rocked with her pumps.

"_Breathe, dammit, breathe!"_

Tears were streaming down her face and black colorful-lined spots were invaded her vision. But her body did not quit.

The sound of choking was heard.

Once the body ceased from convulsing, Chinatsu tilted the child's head back, pressed her index and middle finger against his jugular vein and hovered her ear over the child's pink mouth.

The weak, but existing pulse along with the warm breath hitting her ear was the most glorious feeling in the world.

Chinatsu extended one of the boy's arms over his head, pulled in his knee to the body and rolled him over so that if there were anymore remaining water in his lungs, the boy would cough it out to prevent any more damage to his small, vulnerable body.

As soon as that was done, Chinatsu collapsed next to the boy.

"_Nee-san!" _the children cried.

There was no reason for Chinatsu to open her eyes. She panted, her chest rising and dipping with the despairing need to recover from her hellish, but worthy action. Some of the children that were watching Chinatsu saving their dearest childhood friend were patting her naked thigh and arms, frightened as they thought she died. Her limp hand waved them off and their cries ebbed.

Multiple shadows passed over her, blocking the bright light.

Her eyes cracked open to see Kakashi over her, cupping the back of her neck as he tried to shake her awake. _"I'm alive. I'm just…I'm just tired…"_ she said, sighing. "Tired."

Kakashi pressed his finger to her neck and felt her pulse. It was strong and fast.

He started to pull away when suddenly her hand grabbed his with a weak pull, holding it against her chest as she continued to pant heavily.

"Ga-ga-ji," she said. Her tongue darted out and swiped her bottom lip.

"What happened here?" Raidou asked one of the children.

"Touya-kun was under the water and then, and then nee-san was aaaaaallll the way over on that side of the lake and started swimming really, really fast and then she went under the water and saved Touya-kun and then she started pushing his chest and give him a kiss and then he woke up!" the little girl chirped all in one breath with a look of awe in her eyes. "She's an angel!"

Raidou pulled back, his brow arching. "A kiss?"

"No, no, not a kiss, dummy!" One of the boys with a bandage over the bridge of his nose sneered at the girl. "Nee-san didn't kiss Touya-baka, she was blowing air into his mouth!"

"And then he came back to life!"

"Yeah!"

"And then a shooting star shot from the sky!"

"He's right! And then a ton of ninjas appeared and started fighting with us and we used our super awesome jutsus to defend nee-san and ourselves!"

Raidou grinned and stood up straight as the children started to get heavily descriptive with their imaginations. He turned to Kakashi to see him smoothing the soaked bangs away from Chinatsu's face. "Is she alright?"

Kakashi froze. He relaxed slowly and pulled himself away from Chinatsu. "Aa. She's merely tired."

"It seems as if there's much more to Chinatsu-chan, hm?" Genma said as he strolled over with a blanket in hand. He handed it to Kakashi who wrapped it around Chinatsu. "Did you know that she could swim or knew the basics of CPR?"

"I had no idea."

Chinatsu sighed as she was picked up from the ground. She laid her head against the strong chest of whoever was carrying her and lightly dozed off until she was placed back into the wagon with her burlap bag inside.

Michiko fussed over Chinatsu, helping the tired woman dress.

In little than fifteen minutes, Chinatsu felt like her strength returned.

She looked at Michiko who was chattering once again, rather happily and excitingly, doing the motions of a freestyle (a stroke in swimming), which gave Chinatsu the idea of what she was talking about. A shy smile played on her face as Michiko continued to praise her with the simple words of 'good job!' and 'awesome!'.

Yamato's face peered inside the wagon and smiled at Chinatsu. "Ah, you're awake!"

Chinatsu waved at Yamato. "Hello."

"Why don't we go eat, Chinatsu? I'm sure you're hungry."

All she understood was the word 'hungry' and she knew they were preparing for lunch. Chinatsu nodded enthusiastically and crawled to the opening of the wagon, smiling and waving at Michiko that she would return.

As they walked towards the other men, Yamato said, "I didn't know you could swim!"

Chinatsu cocked her head to the left, a signal that told Yamato she didn't understand what he said.

"Swim! You know," he said as he flopped his arms in the air.

"Ah! Swim! Yes, me swim…four…eh," Chinatsu frowned, pouting her lips as she tried to remember how a certain term. "Eh, day? Sun, moon, day?"

"Do you mean month? Thirty days?"

"No, no, no. No, thirty days. More. Mmmm, three-hundred and sixty five, with four!"

Yamato nodded. "Ah, four years!"

"Yes, yes! Years!"

Wow, he didn't expect this small woman to be so experience in anything else but eating. Her small stature wasn't well defined, tone or muscular. She was very squishy. Chinatsu looked like the type that read books all day and kept to herself. But even looks can be deceiving.

"Ahhh, there's the hero!" Genma crowed at the sight of Yamato and Chinatsu.

The small group clapped at Chinatsu's entrance, laughing when her face grew bright red.

She rubbed the back of her neck and looked away shyly. "…Thank you," she murmured quietly.

Ebisu patted the spot next to him. "Ah, let's practice some terms!" he said, taking the advantage of Chinatsu's docile nature before her demon-like side threatened to dismember every male in sight. And during the duration of the meal, Ebisu taught Chinatsu some more words and phrases.

"Thank you for the meal," Chinatsu repeated for the umpteenth time, struggling to use the chopsticks to pick up the rice.

Genma, who was sitting next to her, whispered in her ear, and urged her to repeat what he had said to Kakashi, who was innocently eating his meal and discussing fighting technique with Yamato.

Chinatsu looked at Kakashi and smiled. "I want to have your babies."

The result was instantaneous.

Ebisu had blood spurting from his nose. Yamato choked on his meat, thumping his chest to clear the object stuck in his throat. Raidou, just like Yamato, accidently swallowed water down the wrong pipe. And Kakashi was staring, more like blinking, at Chinatsu who had came to realization that she probably had said something naughty.

Chinatsu snarled something viciously in her language and thumped Genma's head with her fist.

But it didn't stop Genma from laughing heartily. He surrendered to her hits and put up his hands. "Okay, okay, okay! I'm sorry! Hahaha, here you can eat this. It's good."

Chinatsu's chin went up and she narrowed her eyes at Genma. That's right! That man better fear her! He was just an evil, evil man!

With a haughty 'hmph!', Chinatsu reached over expertly with her chopsticks and took a good chunk of the green paste (which she assumed was squished squashed avocado) on his dish and plopped it in her mouth and swallowed it as the men around her watched her with a horrified look.

**If you didn't know what the mushy "avocado" thing Chinatsu ate, it was Wasabi. So, you can now all cringe and imagine the horror of eating a good chunk of wasabi!**

**The story is getting fun to write! (: I'm putting in a little romance, but soon there will be more! The adventure is about to begin and so will the unexpected twists and turns of the story ;D**

**THANK YOU EVERYBODY ;D I'M ALMOST TO 200 REVIEWS X3 **

**I heart you all :D**

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**Emii – **I'm glad you caught up to the chapters! Hahaha, more surprises will be coming in a jiffy!


	18. Accumulation

**Chapter 18: Accumulation**

Throughout the rest of the trip for the day, she didn't talk to any of them.

Chinatsu winced.

When she had swallowed the _wasabi_, as Ebisu had called it, Chinatsu screamed from the fire licking her taste buds and throat with the inferno of hell. Immediately, the men jumped into action with the exclusion of a hysterically laughing Genma off to the side. Yamato slathered her face with a sticky substance that felt like oatmeal (which was given to them by a very angry Michiko who started beating up a helpless Genma), and Kakashi shoved gallons of milk down her throat. Though the milk did help soothe the fiery flames of death for a moment, it didn't make Chinatsu stop sobbing like a wailing child.

It had taken nearly an hour for the burning sensation to come to a dull throb. And when it did, Raidou rubbed a minty leaf on the sensitive tongue and asked her not to swallow it. She can only assume, he was highly experienced with burns (due to the rather angry-looking disfigured skin running along the bridge of his nose and onto the planes of his cheeks) when the aloe leaves slowly started working.

So, here she was. Lying down on her makeshift of a bed, Chinatsu sniffled from time to time, as she was very careful to not touch her tongue to the roof of her mouth.

And not only that, but she also had the fiercest of cramps attempting to wring her poor stomach into the shape of a thin wire.

Damn, this world just didn't like her, huh?

Chinatsu lifted a hand from the inside of her blanket and brought it close to her mouth only to have it caught by the wrist.

Kakashi shook his head from side to side before slapping the back of it lightly as if he was admonishing one of his summoning dogs. "No, don't touch you're tongue or you'll infect it and it'll fall off."

"Like she can understand that," Genma scoffed. "You have to use sign language."

Genma comically pointed at his tongue and waggled it rather obscenely at Chinatsu, who snarled at him just for looking at her. He ignored her and continued on, acting like his tongue fell off and he was panicking.

Chinatsu stuck out her tongue (gently now, gently) and threw her blankets over her head.

In less than a second, it was ripped off and there was the sound of air exploding.

She was dragged out of her bed, mouth muffled, and arms and legs restrained. They moved swiftly through the night, ignoring her as she kicked out at anybody who unfortunately came too close to her. The chilly night soothed her sweaty skin, whispering tenderly against her matted hair. But it did nothing to cool down the rage simmering in her.

Chinatsu protested beneath the hand covering her mouth, squirming in the arms of her captor.

In less than thirty seconds, they finally reached their destination.

Genma and Raidou continued to run ahead, setting themselves around in a perimeter to keep watch of anybody who might come across them. The group had traveled a good length away from the sleeping caravan, ensured that nobody would wake from the little training program, which was about to commence. Even if they did, the civilians wouldn't point fingers at them since they've left kage buunshins behind in their wake.

Yamato gently placed Chinatsu down and quickly moved back as she kicked back at him. He chuckled when she clumsily tripped over her own two feet. "Now, now, Chinatsu, no need for any—UFFF!"

"_There's more where that came from!" _Chinatsu growled funnily (as her tongue still hurt), watching as Yamato was rubbing his throbbing shin. "Why me awake? Sleep! Sleep!"

Kakashi shook his head at her rudimentary language. He shuffled through his civilian's clothes and revealed a handful of kunais and shuriken.

"No!" Chinatsu pouted.

Dear gods, did they wake her up just to throw knives? Wasn't she over that? Chinatsu grumbled, crossing her arms and stomping her feet at the sight of those sharp weapons glinting in the moonlight. And it wasn't like she couldn't see anything! It was night for Christ sakes! The chilly air and the moon hanging up in the navy-colored sky only told her that it was a little past twelve.

She didn't have time for this.

As Kakashi approached her with those weapons, Chinatsu turned away and started walking while repeating, "No!"

"Chinatsu," Yamato admonished.

"No! Tired!"

"Chinatsu-san, you need to train." Ebisu joined Yamato, both men hounding after the young woman as she continued to refuse to do their bidding with hands tightly crossed over her chest.

Kakashi merely glanced off to the side as Genma and Raidou dashed back to the main group, bringing out their weapons. "Something's here," Genma said, his senbon pausing in mid-chew in preparation of whatever was out there.

Chinatsu squawked in indignation when Yamato and Ebisu dragged her in the middle of all the men, turning their backs to her as if protecting the woman from whatever was out there in the dark. That realization made Chinatsu keep still and quiet, much like a nest of chicks hiding from nightly predators. She whimpered in distress as the memories of her in the dungeon came roiling out of nowhere. The cold night and tension in the air triggered the dark memories and Chinatsu couldn't help but clutch at the back of someone's shirt.

It was then, when a huge blue cat and a beige raccoon appeared from the dark did the group realize who the intruders were.

"_Kitty!"_

Chinatsu attempted to squeeze past the tightly knitted circle, but the men pushed her back.

"B-bijuus!" Genma said in awe.

"Aa," Kakashi said, stepping away from the circle. He allowed Chinatsu to dart away from them once he was positive the bijuus weren't a genjutsu.

Genma was murmuring in admiration, watching as Chinatsu grabbed the Nibi and hugged it as if she were a five-year-old brat. He edged closer to Kakashi, still watching the girl reacquainting herself with Matatabi and Shukaku as he whispered, "Does she even know what they are?"

Obviously from the way she was cuddling Matatabi like an infant and nudging Shukaku with her foot, Chinatsu had no idea what they were.

Matatabi allowed this behavior to continue for a while before pulling away from the girl. "She looks better."

"I liked her better before! Dirty and bloody!" Shukaku whined, crossing his arms.

Kakashi and Yamato warily approached the bijuus with Genma and Raidou at their sides. Though the demons were close to Chinatsu, it didn't mean that the tailed-demons were close to humans at all. The men continued to watch Chinatsu petting the two-tailed demon till it swatted at her hand lightly. The raccoon then catapulted towards her leg and laughed hysterically as she tried to dislodge the creature.

"You've been summoned?"

Matatabi gave Chinatsu and Shukaku a droll look before shaking his head. "The girl hasn't yet learned to summon us. We've arrived to our own wants, along with your precious Hokage's permission, of course." The distain for the woman oozed from his words. "And we also bring a message from her."

"What is it?" Genma asked as he continued to watch Chinatsu slapping the raccoon hanging on her arm this time.

"She says there's a possibility of a raid on the caravan tonight."

"What?" Ebisu gaped, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"White flash! White flash!"

Matatabi ignored Shukaku's screaming. "An ANBU, near the boarder of Konohagkaure, was returning a message from the Kazekage to the Hokage and said she had seen something white heading that way. And a group of genins with their sensei saw a 'white flash' running north. It was too fast for their eyes to catch."

"A white flash?" Ebisu frowned. "What could possibly be white?"

"Someone from the snow regions?"

"Possibly."

"But an attack?"

"That is what she was reported, but I highly doubt it." Matatabi turned and looked around, his senses picking up on nothing from his surroundings. Usually, when there was the intent to kill or steal, the high-strung desire to do so was strong enough to deter anyone, any animal, and anything from its usual train of thought. And because the bijuu couldn't sense it, there wasn't going to be any form of attack at the moment.

"We shouldn't take any chances." Yamato commented.

Matatabi rolled his eyes. Tch, _humans._

"Genma, Raidou," Kakashi said.

Immediately, Genma and Raidou shot out into the dark.

While the two men went to go search through the premises of the area, Kakashi and Yamato made buunshins to accompany the two in case they needed to hide the girl.

"Stop!" Chinatsu snarled, grabbing Shukaku by the scruff and chucking him to the distance. The beige tailed demon landed with a comical squeak and sat upright with a glare.

"Stop your devilry for once, Shukaku." Matatabi hissed, his blue fur standing on the ends.

"She's no fun!" The crazed demon frowned, pouting almost as he stood on his haunches.

"I believe receiving bites, isn't fun at all," the two-tailed said dully as Chinatsu tenderly patted the small puncture bites from Shukaku.

God dammit, this was enough. Chinatsu glared at the raccoon and cat as she tended to her open wounds. Both animals at one point of meeting had bitten Chinatsu on the finger. She still had a small scar from Kitty when he bit her finger as a kitten, and Shukaku as he had literally mauled off her poor index finger. God, she really did have bad luck with animals, talking animals nonetheless.

Not only that but her thumb has been itching like a bitch!

She watched uninterestingly as the animals and people talked, yawning off to the side and wished dearly that she could return to the comforts of her makeshift bed. A cold breeze blew past her, causing Chinatsu to shiver violently.

Desert nights were nothing like winter back at her home. It was ruthlessly cold and bleak, almost as if a brush of death was whispering across the land.

Chinatsu was broken away from her thoughts when something cold pressed against her arm. She turned with a questioning hum, tilting her head to the right as Kakashi stood in front of her.

"Cold," she murmured unhappily.

The only sign she knew he heard her was the small uplifting of the corner of his mouth, which was very hard to see in the night, especially when he was wearing a black mask.

"Don't worry. You'll definitely warm up from your training."

As usual, she didn't understand eight-five percent of what he had said.

Throughout the next fifteen minutes, Yamato and Kakashi were teaching her different positions. It was almost as if she was in a tae kwon do class. They taught her martial arts, for god knows what reason, lifting her arms and legs until she was able to do it herself. A simple flashback of her and Akane watching 'The Karate Kid' made Chinatsu smile despite the fact that her body was freezing. She was doomed to become a Popsicle any second now.

"Good," Ebisu nodded.

Ebisu taught Chinatsu more vocabulary. Today, while she was constantly shifting in her many different positions of the martial arts, she was blurting out colors with Ebisu either nodding in approval or shaking his head in disapproval.

Jesus, whoever taught about mixing PE and a foreign language in one hour was a maniac.

"Sleep. Now?" she asked, completely exhausted.

Yamato only smirked. "Not yet."

With the bijous off to the side, and explained what was going to happen and what the girl was going to be expected of, Yamato gave a signal to Kakashi.

"Coooooold!" Chinatsu cried out like a brat, stomping her foot. But instantly, she was caught off-guard when something kicked her from behind. There was no chance for her to let out one peep as she fell flat-faced on the dirt ground.

Chinatsu picked up her face from the sand, spitting it out of her mouth and glared spitefully at a chuckling Yamato. She then turned those narrowed eyes of hers to Kakashi to see him standing there, clean and hair ever so perfectly, while taunting her with a crook of a finger. Snarling impressively (from the arch of both Nibi's and Ichibi's eyebrows), Chinatsu stood up and pointed a finger at him. _"I'll get you!" _she screamed at her native language before foolishly barreling towards him.

Kakashi refrained himself from the attempt of yawning as he quickly sidestepped Chinatsu. He watched as she stumbled and fell to her knees. "Chinatsu, concentrate. Use the moves we taught you."

She turned and once again got to her feet. Her knees throbbed, but that didn't diminish the fire of irritation growing at Kakashi's smirk.

"Ga-ga-ji!"

Yamato snorted. "She still calls you that?"

The Copy Cat nin didn't bother replying as he dodged another petty attack. When Chinatsu took yet another a tumble, Kakashi reached down and brought her up by the arm. He swatted her forehead, ignoring her glare and angry hisses, and arranged her body like a puppet. "Like this," he said. And with that, he attacked those stiff arms slowly and softly.

"Block, block, block," Ebisu repeated off from the sidelines over and over.

Chinatsu's lips moved slightly, mouth repeating those words as her mind concentrated on what Kakashi was teaching her. She put more effort in her 'blocks' and pushed back.

And with that, Kakashi added more.

Chinatsu yelped as her legs were swiped from underneath. She wheezed as the air literally swept out from her lungs. Hands were petting and patting her head, shoulders, and voices were constantly asking if she was okay.

She wasn't.

"_I did not sign up for tae kwon do class! Why are you beating me up?" _she questioned weakly, turning on her stomach.

Like a child, she ignored their pleas to stand and curled on the floor, nuzzling her face into the crook of her arms.

"Kakashi!" Yamato scolded.

Kakashi merely scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I thought she was getting the hang of it." In fact, she was. The problem lied in that ever so small of a detail from an irate Tsunade demanding Chinatsu come back with the abilities of an ANBU Captain. Most likely, it wasn't going to happen. But who was he to say that to a livid drunk?

Shukaku giggled madly off to the side.

Matatabi opened his mouth and showed his glinting fangs. He yawned rather obnoxiously for a graceful cat, placing out his arms and his hind rising as a delicious stretch winded through his body. Licking his chops as if he had eaten, Matatabi regarded towards the foolish humans talking to one another. He then took a fleeting look towards his ward to see her scratching her finger madly. At that, he lifted his head in quiet acknowledgement, keeping this new information to himself.

Everything was fine.

The blue cat looked off into the night, before turning with his counterpart and disappearing.

Everything was fine.

"Promise?"

Ebisu nodded. "A promise!" He held out his pinky as if to symbolize that word in Chinatsu's mind. "Promises are words of meaning between two or more people—"

"Okay, okay! Promise?" Chinatsu turned to Yamato.

"Yes, yes, I promise we won't do anymore _taijutsu._" Yamato, who had pushed away Kakashi, tentatively brought up the weapons she hated so much.

"No_ooooo!"_

Alas, it was no use. Chinatsu was forced to throw those dreadful sharp things at a nearby wooden target magically created by Yamato. With each thrown knife, she groaned in prolong frustration. She wasn't any better when she had left that village. In fact, she was at most worse.

If she had the ability to communicate with these fools, she would question them why she was going through this. Honestly, if they were escaping from the village, why did she need to continue throwing these knives at a tree?

Did they…did they want her to join their circus group?

No, no, no, they definitely didn't belong in a circus. They were soldiers, _ninjas. _Chinatsu wasn't a fool to take notice of it. She had seen Yamato and Kakashi in their gear. The green flak jackets they wore normally told her they were constantly in duty. And those pouches they had? They were filled with weapons, that much she knew. The girl was aware of their magical abilities, talking animals, and doppelgangers. In her world, they were utmost unnatural, but here it was an everyday activity.

It was something she had to force herself to become accustom to.

After an extensive search, Genma and Raidou returned and informed Kakashi, Yamato, and Ebisu that there were no signs of an attack. The trio frowned at those words, but said nothing.

"Oi! What is she doing?" Genma asked, frowning as he watched a kunai sail over her target by five extra feet.

"She's not taking it seriously, that is," Kakashi said.

"I thought she would be good with throwing weapons." Genma murmured, frowning as he placed his hands on his hips. "When I had checked up on her during her bath—"

"What?" Ebisu yelled.

"Don't worry, I didn't see anything."

Yamato frowned. "That cocky grin on your face says otherwise…"

"Well, she is a lovely creature." Genma sighed and slid those dark eyes of his to a snarling, frothing Chinatsu. "I had been spotted by her friend, the woman of the caravan, Michiko, and immediately was pelted with a rock thrown by Chinatsu while I had been running back."

"Yeah and then Michiko's husband beat the crap out of you." Raidou added.

"Completely different subject!" Genma narrowed his eyes at the smirking scarred faced man. "My point is, I think she can hit her target while they're moving."

"But that's harder objective than a still target." Kakashi said.

"We should try and test this theory out." Ebisu nodded, stroking his chin with his fingers.

"How will we get her to throw weapons at a moving target?"

Genma smiled almost evilly. "Provoke her."

Chinatsu had been throwing those knives now with specialized sound effects. Much like Bruce Lee, the sounds coming from her throat somewhat resembled a rabid monkey.

Suddenly, she choked as a light slap had hit her on the forehead.

Chinatsu stumbled back, rubbing her reddening forehead and blinked rapidly. She looked around to see Genma running around her with an arrogant laugh. She watched him in confusion and yelped when he slapped her across the buttocks and ran off again.

She knew he was a pervert!

When he had come up fast and pinch her cheeks, Chinatsu angrily threw one of the knives at him without a second thought. An expression of horrid, horrid realization took over her face as she watched the knife pierce Genma's shoulder.

"_Oh my god!"_

Immediately, she dropped everything in her hands and darted towards him. Dropping to her knees, she gingerly patted his uninjured arm and chest. Just when she was about to start bawling suddenly a gas of smoke exploded from the disappearing body of Genma.

With teary eyes, Chinatsu blinked in confusion.

That night, many buunshins belonging to Genma were pierced with the fiery kunais from heaven, much like a furious porcupine defending its honor and dignity. Pure resentment washed through Chinatsu until she collapsed with exhaustion. By that time, it was nearing the break of dawn. The men decided to quit their training for the night and scheduled for chakra meditation the next intermission the caravan took. With a quick wash of the face, Chinatsu was returned to her bedding with much ado.

With the merchants moving along with their scheduled plan, the men of Konohagakure moved along. Their ears were kept open, eyes looking around, and mind incessantly in check of anything out of the ordinary.

The weather never stayed in one motion. Where they had started out in the beautiful weather of greenery with cool wind, they traveled into the relentless heat. And with each step, the temperature was slowly rising and the weather was drying.

It was well over two o' clock in the afternoon when the merchants called for a stop. Nearby was an oasis for those to fill their drinks.

"There's sand everywhere!"

Raidou rolled his eyes as he sat on his bum. "And what did you expect, flowers?"

Genma merely let out a helpless whimper before leaning heavily on the unexpected Ebisu. The circular, black glasses wearing man cursed, shoving away the senbon-chewing bachelor. "Drats! Don't lean on me!"

"But it's hot!"

"Well, you're making me hotter!"

Ignoring the three, Yamato and Kakashi were sharing a small shade under one of the merchant's cart. Yamato sighed heavily and wiped the back of his hand across his heavily sweaty forehead. Taking the advice of one of the Sunagakure natives, he wrapped his head with a brown hood, hoping to keep his head cool.

"It's a perfect time to practice her chakra meditation." Kakashi mused.

"Too hot."

They looked at each other.

"Save it till later," they both agreed and relaxed under the cool shade.

Whilst the men were bickering and settling down, a lump inside of a familiar wagon shifted. Chinatsu blinked beadily. Her vision was blurred from her wake.

"Good afternoon, sleepyhead."

Michiko smiled down at the brown-haired fussy girl and offered a cup of tea. "Take slow sips of it. It'll help cool you down and lessen those cramps of yours." The middle-aged woman sat down, watching Chinatsu nursing the minty-chamomile tea with a smile. "So, Chinatsu-chan, I couldn't help but notice to see how many men you're traveling with. Are they…your cousins?" Of course, Michiko knew they weren't her cousins, but still! She wanted some juicy gossip especially when the other women in this caravan were too old, too young, or simply too bitchy.

Chinatsu was able to grasp some of what Michiko was saying. "Men…mm, friends?"

"All of them?" Michiko frowned.

Chinatsu nodded. "Yes."

"No brother?"

"No brother, one sister."

"Oh, you have a sister?" Michiko veered off the topic. The corner of her lips pulled down, pulling a memory of Yamato claiming her as his sister passed through her mind. It disappeared meaninglessly as the smile on Chinatsu's face entrapped her.

"Yes, one. Her name, Akane."

"Beautiful name."

"Thank you."

"Where is she?"

It happened out of nowhere.

For a moment, Chinatsu paused in mid-sip, drinking her tea with Michiko as a malicious intent hummed through her being. She frowned, her lips tightening as she attempted to concentrate on that feeling of malice only to hear screams echoing through the air. The wagon they were in rocked violently, shoving both women around. The tea slipped from Chinatsu's hands and spilled over her legs. There was no time for her to cry as the wagon flipped over.

Michiko screamed bloody terror while Chinatsu was still numb, fighting to understand what was going on.

Her husband replied to her cries of help and sliced the top of the wagon's cloth covering open with a knife. He grabbed her by the upper arm and pulled her out.

Chinatsu merely stared at him as he stretched out his hand to pull her out. His mouth moved, yelling and screaming. His eyes were wide and filled with barely concealed panic.

She couldn't hear anything. The only sound she could hear was the thumping of her heart, beating normally and regularly as if there wasn't a war out there. There was no feeling of her being hauled out of the wagon with Michiko and her husband.

It all hit her when she exited that haven.

"Somebody help me!"

Michiko held strong to her husband's arm, whimpering as she glanced around at the bloodshed.

People were running about with no sense of direction. Children screamed, blood streaming down their faces as mothers held their child to their bosoms and yelled for their husbands. There were many men, many men. Men swapped in black, in gears that was meant to take someone down. Knives were flying through the air, whistling before embedding in their intended target. The civilians were barely able to keep up a front with their normalcy of butcher knives and fists. It wasn't enough for them to defend themselves, as the enemies were ninjas with experience.

Chinatsu staggered as her arm was pulled once again. She glanced to see a strange man with a headband of a musical note yanking her away from Michiko.

"Retreat! Fall back! Target has been acquired!" the man yelled before heaving Chinatsu over his shoulder.

"Chinatsu!" Michiko yelled.

There was no time. Before Chinatsu could even realize she was being kidnapped, the man whisked her away. The man was running with a pace that could only be defined as extreme anxiety. Her head was thrown from side to side roughly, body carelessly tossed from one copy to another copy as he battled with others. Chinatsu hung about, nervously clenching at the back of the man's shirt as she eyed the opened pouch of knives at his waist.

Muttering a quick prayer, along with an apology, Chinatsu grabbed the knife and stabbed him at the base of his back, knowing well that she had stabbed precisely between L2 and L3: the Lumbar nerves of his spinal cord.

As she hit the ground she hoped that the man would disappear with a poof, much like Genma had last night. When he hadn't, she knew she had damned that man into a life of paralysis.

Chinatsu struggled to her feet, putting out her arms to gain some balance as the world shifted.

She wobbled away from the screaming kidnapper and blinked at her surroundings.

There!

She picked up a bloodied knife and quickly stood up. There wasn't a moment to give a damn about the blood on the knife. All Chinatsu was focused on was protecting herself. And that's what she did when someone approached her quickly from the side.

"Hey!" a man with a rock-like drawing on his headband screamed, throwing his hands into signals. His hands glowed green and Chinatsu knew it wasn't anything good.

Reeling her hand back, Chinatsu let out a little noise from the back of her throat before launching the knife at the moving man. She closed her eyes and ran off, not needing to look at him to know she hit the jugular. The sound of him gurgling traumatized her as she ran for safety.

"Yamato! Ga-ga-ji! Genma!" she called out.

She yelped as her foot caught a fallen body and caused her to fly to the floor. Something whooshed overhead and Chinatsu quickly looked up to see that she had dodged huge ass star weapons; fushin shurikens as Yamato would call them.

She turned on her back to see an enemy standing there with a smirk.

Quickly, Chinatsu grabbed something pointy on the floor and threw it at the standing man, watching as it skipped him and his three partners standing to his left, and hit a tree.

God dammit.

The man laughed and attempted to approach her but was blocked off by a wall of fire.

"Oh, shit, is that her?" A woman was running near Chinatsu, throwing knives here and there as she assessed Chinatsu with bright blue eyes.

Her partner nodded and at that moment, the woman slapped her hands together.

Chinatsu panicked as the woman yelled out something foreign and tried to run away from her. But her partner herded her towards the woman with fire consuming her hands. "No, no!" Chinatsu protested, looking everywhere desperately for any form of a weapon. A small star glinted on the ground and she picked up it quickly before throwing it at the fire woman.

"Bitch!" the Amegakure kunoichi snarled before hurling a ball of fire at Chinatsu.

The fire burned her side, as Chinatsu was barely able to dodge it.

"Don't hurt her! He wants her unharmed and untouched!"

"But she's not cooperating!"

"We'll put her to sleep—" He was cut off with a yell from his own voice. The man looked down to see a kunai piercing the flesh of his arm. When his eyes made contact with Chinatsu, it darkened with intense hatred. "Bitch!"

Chinatsu cried out and plastered herself on the ground as barrels of weapons came flying from the man's paper scroll.

Her leg and shoulder fired up, burning with pain and agony as the weapons dug deep into her body. Her chest heaved with oxygen as she concentrated on trying to pull out the knives. The man who she had thrown the knife at walked towards her and pinned her to the ground by his feet, making her scream as the knife in her shoulder dug deeper into her wound.

"I'm gonna carve that pretty face of yours. Maybe that'll teach you a lesson to not fight with me—" The Amegakure shinobi was unable to finish as he was batted away from the fallen woman with opposing enemies.

Chinatsu turned on her back, gasping for air as her trembling hand hovered over the knife. Without a passing thought, she quickly pulled the first one out of her shoulder, gagging as the need to vomit churned through her stomach violently.

The small star weapon was quickly pulled from her thigh, as it was not as deep and violent as her shoulder wound.

Quickly, she stood as best as she could and limped through the battlefield, clutching her shoulder as she sought for the familiar faces of her group.

"Chinatsu!"

Tendrils of wooden logs exploded from the ground. Chinatsu shouted and fell to her knees, shocked by the sudden appearance of them. They wrapped around her like a cage, and soon electricity was traveling through the contraption in a continuous pulse.

Yamato and Kakashi landed before her.

"Yamato!" she called out and attempted to move closer to them despite the barrier.

"Chinatsu, don't touch it," Yamato warned, looking around to prevent anyone from getting the girl. There had been no time to recognize they had been surrounded, and by many ninjas that is. The men were lying around, languidly enjoying their break and enduring the fierce weather of the desert. The sun was beating strong and there was the barest whisper of the wind. When they had attacked, Yamato immediately ran for Chinatsu. He nearly had a hernia when Michiko's overturned wagon told him there was no one inside. The group couldn't place the woman and decided to split up to search for her.

When he had heard her voice, he immediately created a cage to avoid the prospect of anyone to get the girl while he and the others were busy protecting her. And the defense of the cage only heightened when Kakashi added his electricity trait to it.

"Our cover's been blown!" Ebisu yelled as he dodged an oncoming bunch of weapons from a delirious laughing woman.

Raidou swiftly hit the back of her neck, knocking her out cold. "We need to run now."

Genma joined the others, panting as he gingerly aided the injured shoulder he received while defending a group of children from a madman. "What about the civilians?"

While their clones, and themselves, of course, were fighting, they were still conversing. Of course the mission was utmost important, but the life of the civilians were just as equal.

"We can't separate," Kakashi said.

"We have to! There's too many!" Genma said. A blade gave him the softest of kisses near his brow, barely nicking him before the Konoha-nin was able to dodge.

It was true. One thing they had realized was that the enemies were from different villages. There was too many to defend the woman in the cage they built, including the travelers. It had forced them to drop their disguise and summon their jounin uniform. With equipped weapons and scrolls the men were able to hold their ground, but the nonstop rush of enemies were quickly tiring the experienced men; and they were nowhere near to finish.

"Evacuate the travelers!" Kakashi demanded, nipping at his thumb to summon his dogs of war. With quick instructions to lead the people to safety, the copy-nin returned to the bloodbath.

Chinatsu huddled in her cage, wrapping her arms around her knees as she looked out at the terror before her. Many of the enemies suddenly realized she was right before their eyes and attempted to break her out of the protective barrier Yamato created. And that's when she realized she didn't truly know the men she was traveling with.

They were saturated in blood, protecting not only her, but also the people of the moving caravan. Bodies piled up on the floor and screams of agony echoed throughout the desert plain. Nothing stopped them from defending her from the massive amount of people filled with desperation for her, even if injury was inflicted.

And she felt small, so very small in this world.

Why were they trying to get her?

What would it accomplish?

Did they know she was not of this world?

Something was distracting Raidou, nagging at his mind whilst he fought until he had come to a realization. "Chinatsu!" he whispered loudly to himself, turning to see the woman disappear right before his eyes.

Chinatsu felt the sensation of someone watching her.

"Finally," a rough voice said from next to her.

The woman glanced besides her in confusion only to have her face twist in shock and horror. There was no time to scream before the man, who had risen from the ground, grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her through the terrain.

It was an odd feeling. She felt like her body was moving through jello. Chinatsu didn't dare open her eyes as she was dragged through space and time, as it was felt like. And as soon as she was ripped from that void, she gasped loudly as though she had been holding her breath for a long time. And quickly, she thrashed about.

"Stop moving, bitch!" the man with a tattoo of a scorpion on his cheek shook her fiercely.

"No!" Chinatsu yelled, groping the ground for a weapon of any kind to defend herself.

The man sneered at her attempts and nudged her firmly with the boot of his foot. He ignored her as she hissed and looked over his shoulder to see that the bloodbath of the caravan was ways away. The bounty hunter from Kusagakure brought his lip to the edges of his upper teeth and blew a sharp sound to the wind, calling away the rest of his team to run with their captured prize.

The Tsuchikage would pay them greatly for their catch.

"Get ready, boys! Here's to pay day!"

Chinatsu trembled as the men surrounding her whooped in glee. There was no chance for her to fight. She flailed as the men clasped her wrists in handcuffs and instantly she felt drained. Chinatsu was as weak as a newborn kitten, and it allowed the bandits to run from the warzone quickly now that she was so-called compliant. She was held by a gentle giant of a man, and cradled as if she were a babe. Her head jarred every once in a while from rough movements of dodging oncoming attacks.

Time didn't exist, but she knew they had been traveling for a while. There had been a moment where Chinatsu went unconscious as exhaustion took its toll on her along with the blood loss of her shoulder. And when she had awoken, the bandits were still running.

The man holding her peered down at her face and quickly alerted the leader.

"She's awake! Her bleeding has been stabilized!"

The tattooed man merely nodded in acknowledgment. When his teammate alerted him of the target's injury, Hiro couldn't take the risk of coming to a stop. He was well aware of the Konoha nins. They were just as brutal as any other shinobi, and he will not allow his team to fall under simply because of the woman's wound. He just prayed she was still alive by the time he reached Iwagakure.

But all that joy was slaughtered in a very quick second.

Hiro's eyes widened. "Mitsuki! Run for the second group! Everybody else, we fight!"

Chinatsu had felt the atmosphere change. Where the men had been running at a steady pace, they had now broken their formation. The giant carrying her was sprinting like a bat out of hell. Her head was pressed tightly to his chest, and with the little strength she had, Chinatsu raked her eyes over her captor's shoulder.

There the lone soldier was, drenched in blood. The copper smell heavily permeated the air as if it was his personal perfume. His grey hair was matted and sticky, face spotted and splattered with the crimson liquid of a devilish surgeon. Kakashi was already engaged in a fight with the unfair amount of men, killing one man off emotionlessly like an angel of death, as his image had conjured. His form was slightly sluggish from his usual elegant structure. And even though the distance between the two was growing rapidly, Chinatsu could make up the strain, the wrinkles, of his face as well as the angry yelling coming from his mouth.

He looked so tired, so tired, but the severe determination glowing in his eyes kept him alive.

"Summon them! Summon the demons!"

She couldn't understand his faint screaming, which was full of desperation. And soon he had become but a speckle over the horizon.

Chinatsu's finger started itching frantically.

The man carrying Chinatsu let out a yell of both fear and shock, and released her abruptly. She felt the wind whoosh out of her as she hit the ground painfully. Groaning, she lifted her head to see something pearly white standing over her. The heat of the damn desert was getting to Chinatsu. Black spots were already forming and the outline of her vision was blurring.

"Please sleep, young mistress."

Ahhh, she had recognized that word. But as much as she wanted to sleep, she couldn't. Her nerves were rocking with adrenaline, preventing her eyelids from sliding into the glorious close of sleep.

Instead, Chinatsu stared up, blinking languorously.

It seemed like a horse, a rather awkward looking horse. Where Kitty was slightly mutated, this horse thing was a complete mixture of two different species. It had to be!

Horns protruded from its lowered head, angling backwards as if this specie was born to defend and attack with a trust of the neck. The mouth was robotic-looking, the lower jaw much larger than the upper, giving Chinatsu the sense of a bulldog. As the horse mutant head butted her captor, Chinatsu sat up from the ground and started at the beast. Tufts of fur sprouted from its back, wavering in the air as five fluffy tails were wiggling in the air energetically.

"Cease yourself human!" the horse commanded, stomping its hooves into the ground so hard that it was vibrating from beneath Chinatsu.

The man cowered in fear and immediately dispersed.

Satsified with the man's disappearance, the horse mutant turned to a blank faced Chinatsu. He lowered his head in greeting, his turquoise eyes glittering with those of nobility.

"_Watakushi wa Kokuō desu."_

"…Kokuō…" Chinatsu repeated dumbly.

His head lowered and nudged her hand lying limp in her lap. Chinatsu brought it up confusingly, allowing the beast to smell her hand, specifically the thumb that was itching riotously right now.

Kokuō bit the woman's finger after apologizing sincerely, licking up her blood and felt the taste of it rush through him. The DNA linked both human and beast, intertwining their fate and destiny; it bound them both for the inevitable war, which was soon going to erupt due to her presence and the world's greed.

Chinatsu hissed angrily, feebly yanking her hand away from the mutant horse. She turned her back to the beast, shielding her hand as she assessed the damage, which had been done.

Through her blurred vision, she could already tell another scar was to form.

The woman murmured lowly, blinking slowly as a dark curtain threatened to cover her with its heavy folds. Kokuō called for his young mistress, but it was too late. The woman was enveloped in the dark sea and allowed herself to be carried off into the distance.

Kokuō sighed, but allowed the woman rest. From the looks of her battered body, rest was ideal for her. At the sound of footsteps approaching, he hovered over the young mistress's body, lowering his head threateningly to the bloodied man. "Be gone, human, and I shall let you live."

Kakashi held up his hands as if to convince the five-tailed bijuu he was harmless, which was quite the opposite. "I am a friend of Chinatsu's. I want to make sure she is alright."

The demon stared at Kakashi before deeming him safe. He moved away from the mistress and allowed the man to come close. Kokuō watched as the man tended to her with strategic expertise. "Where do you hail from?"

"Konohagakure," Kakashi replied.

Kokuō hummed, turning his head east to see more humans running towards their direction. His senses sparked at the sensation of another demon closing in.

"Yo, yo, yo!" Killer B rapped, his lips pursing as he threw lyrics out. "I saved the day, yeah, that is me! Killer B is the fuckin' B, yo!"

Genma and Raidou limped from behind while Ebisu skipped merrily. Killer B was supporting a wounded Yamato. He was limping from a harsh laceration on his thigh. Blood mottled at the wound, suppressing the blood from flowing.

The wooden technique user gave Kokuō a confusing glance before taking notice of the beast's innumerous tails. "Another one?" he sighed.

Kokuō frowned. "I will offense to that."

"Sorry."

Kakashi collapsed to his bum, breathing heavily. "The travelers?"

"Safe. We cut down more than enough of the enemies. The rest fled as soon as they realized Chinatsu-san was not there and followed a faux set up by the bounty hunters. We left a couple buunshins behind to help the caravan with what they need." Ebisu said and held up a glowing hand.

Genma panted, waving his hand at Ebisu who was trying to heal Kakashi. "No, no. No healing. We gotta save our chakra. Right now, we have to haul ass to Sunagakure."

Raidou nodded. "Kakashi, notify the Hokage we have been ambushed immediately with Pakkun. Tell her that neighboring villages of both alliances and enemies have attempted to kidnap Chinatsu, and ask her whether or not we should proceed with the mission."

It had been dire that they finish the first part of the mission in complete disguise, as wanted by the Hokage. Now that they had been ensnared in an unseen trap, it had ruined their attempts to lay low.

Now that they were blatantly out in the open, they needed to travel as quickly as they can towards Sunagakure for a moment of peace and safety.

Yamato who was now checking on Chinatsu grimly nodded. "We need medics quickly. Her shoulder wound opened and is now bleeding rapidly, not only that but her breathing is very faint."

"I shall take her."

It only made sense since Kokuō was the epitome of haste.

With Chinatsu tied to Kokuō's back securely, the rest swiftly traveled through the desert and made the one and a half day of travel into three hours.

**A nice looooong chapter for you guys! I know it's been a little over a month since I've last updated, but it was worth it right? :D I mean, look at all this action I've written for the both of us! LOL. I hadn't planned to put the fight scene in this chapter (as I was trying to save it for the next), but I had nothing else to write about and didn't want to make a 'filler' chapter. It wouldn't have flowed nicely. So, I've created this masterpiece! HOHOHO!**

**For a second, I thought that the whole battle part was a bit too much, stuffed into this chapter, but I think I did it quite nicely. **

**Kokuo is the five-tailed demon I've incorporated into the story. There isn't an order the tailed beasts are coming in. It'll all be done randomly. **

**I'm not sure what else to write other than have a Happy Thanksgiving, a awesome Christmas and hope you had a great Halloween! (: **

**Thank you my lovely reviewers for the reviews! I'm glad to see that there are more people reviewing and enjoying the story as I am writing it! :D**

**Avarianna** haipa-chan _AnotherExiledSoul_ **Crimson Siyrean **Akari . Wolf . Princess _KitsuneNEh_ **invisible-gurl** nevvy _daisukii08_ **brooklyn-nyc** minniemousemom _Thomas Drovin_ **Eternal Cat Moon **Undertaker's Hattress _Riialuvsanime_

**Mina – **I'm glad you're enjoying it! :D Here's an update!

**Cat – **Hohoho! I'm glad you've been ensnared in this story! God knows I get addicted to writing it (: Hope you're enjoying it so far!


	19. Connection

**Chapter 19: Connection**

At sight, the group was surrounded by Sunagakure's ANBUs. They were questioned and interrogated before the gates. With the madness infecting people's minds about the woman's presence, the village couldn't take any chances with allowing just anyone inside. But when they realized that the woman was _the _woman, the ANBUs personally escorted the group into the village, walking at a distance and making sure that the civilians didn't come close to Kokuō as he trotted towards Sunagakure's hospital.

The men refused any attention, urging the medic-nin to help Chinatsu first.

When she was untied and placed upon a gurney, Kokuō shifted nervously outside of the hospital, unsure of whether or not his young mistress was safe in this place.

It had taken Killer B a moment to restrain the beast and convince him that Chinatsu was in no danger. Kokuō was still nervously shifting on his hooves, much like a nervous fowl as he waited for the news of Chinatsu's wellbeing.

It had been two days since and there was not a reply from the Hokage.

The assigned team personally delivered the scroll Tsunade had prepared for them, and gave it to the Kazekage. Gaara looked over the scroll with that expressionless face of his before sliding carefully guarded turquoise eyes to the men.

"Are you sure she is of Senju blood?"

"The Hokage has her suspicions along with the council members." Ebisu replied stiffly, uncomfortable as he relied very important information to the redhead.

Gaara remained silent. He closed the folder and set it aside, sliding those eyes of his towards the men of Konohagakure. "Between our villages, we truly have been striving for peace, and to pass the corruption Sunagakure once was," Gaara started. "but the Wise Woman is one of our fellow elders to be heavily protected from anyone and everyone." He held up his hand when Yamato attempted to speak. "I will allow you of this with the companionship of my brother and sister. Do you accept?"

Kakashi nodded. "We accept."

"Good." Gaara flipped through the many papers on his desk. "You will leave in two days time for the Wise Woman."

"Why not immediately?" Genma questioned.

Gaara glanced at the man and his brows furrowed. "In order for you to successfully finish your mission, you need your ward to go to the wise woman from what the scroll you have given me indicates. I'm more than sure that this Chinatsu woman isn't well enough to travel for the period of eight hours."

It was true. Chinatsu, not being born nor raised as a ninja, wasn't going to be able to walk eight hours in her condition. She needed time to heal.

Raidou nodded. "We will wait."

The men bowed and exited the Kazekage's office.

Chinatsu's room was bustling with nurses. From the looks of the guarded ANBUs at her room door and the constant visits from the men of Konohagakure, the medics can only come to a conclusion that the woman was of utmost importance. Not only that, but there was also a tailed demon roaming around the outskirts of the village, a bijuu who had allowed this human woman to ride him from what rumors said.

So when she had awoken, everybody went into frenzy.

"Chinatsu-san? Chinatsu-san, how do you feel? Can you feel this? Do you know you're name? Do you know where you were born?"

The woman sluggishly talked in her native language, frustrating the nurses to kingdom come.

"_Oh, where am I?"_

"Chinatsu-san, do you know who your teammates are? Do you know their names?"

"_Where's my Kitttyyy?" _Chinatsu said, drugged up on the (what she assumed was) morphine to function properly. _"Oww, my head huuurts."_

Someone's hand grabbed hers and brought it away from the tubes wired to her nose. "Chinatsu, no touching."

"Ga-ga-ji?" she said, peering at the moving, wavering image of Kakashi.

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Was she drunk?

Did she do something stupid?

Knowing well that she wasn't a pretty drunk, Chinatsu struggled to sit up. Hands pressed down on her shoulder, pinning her to the uncomfortable bed. She shook her head with no sense of directions and tried to push away those hands.

"Atatata, stop it, Chinatsu." Genma held her down and turned to the nurse. "Is she okay?"

"I don't know. She needs to answer my questions." The nurse snapped.

Another nurse frowned from besides the first. "We need her to answer the questions to make certain that she doesn't have any head trauma."

"She doesn't," Kakashi said. He pinned down both of Chinatsu's hands on her stomach, looking up at the nurse, who was immediately dazzled by his mysteriousness. "I evaluated her myself before we made way here."

"Okay," she sighed, her eyes already throbbing with infatuation.

Chinatsu whined deep in her throat and glared at anything in sight. _"LET ME GO!" _she yelled, trying to pull her hands away from whoever was holding it down.

A shadow hovered over Chinatsu and her eyes blinked up owlishly at Kakashi who lowered his head, his one eye glaring at her intensely. "You need to stop it, Chinatsu. The nurses wants to check your injuries and…."

It had to be the morphine, or whatever the hell was scuttling through her system because soon enough, she couldn't hear Kakashi talking at all. Genma didn't even exist. Those chocolate brown eyes of her zeroed into his moving lips, watching as it stretched and pursed in ways that would make a woman go crazy. His lips weren't the only aspect of him a woman would kill for. He could probably be a well-known sex machine.

Chinatsu was in a daze, staring at Kakashi with filled wonderment and appreciation for the male specie. And with that, she literally lifted herself from the uncomfortable bed (it had to be made out of hay!) and pressed her lips against his masked ones.

"Oh, what?" Genma yelled.

The nurses in the room gasped at the woman's actions.

Kakashi's eye bulged and he quickly attempted to pull away, but it was no use.

Chinatsu's hands broke free from his lax grip (from the surprise and shock of her kissy attack) and gripped his head with the strength of a gargoyle. He called out her name, trying to pull her hands away from him, but her fingers were threaded into the roots of his hair, holding anchor as she raped his mouth with an intensity that left Genma gaping and blushing off from the side.

She plundered that masked mouth, growling and snarling as she realized the mask was preventing her from fully enjoying the warm cavity. Chinatsu even nipped at it and tried to pull it away from his face, but alas, it was no use! One hand strayed from his air and was seeking to rip the black cloth away only to have her pinned down to the bed.

Like a cat in heat, she whined and continued to lean up and get those lips of his.

"Genma!" Kakashi said loudly, asking for help.

Instead the senbon chewing man turned to the nurses. "Is she on medication?"

The younger nurse grabbed the clipboard hanging at the end of the gurney and scanned through it. "Nope, she's as clean as a whistle."

It was true. She wasn't on any drugs.

And she remembered every millisecond of it.

Chinatsu avoided him like a plague. As soon as she was released from the hospital's care, which she didn't question the payment over, she flew outta there like a falcon. Like a shameful politician, Chinatsu went into hiding, refusing to see anybody, including Yamato. Dear god, she practically threw herself at the helpless man. The embarrassment and humiliation filled her to the brim as the memories of her taking advantage of Kakashi reeled through her mind like an interminable movie film.

"Ouch," she murmured, shifting in the luxurious bed of the hotel room. Chinatsu's hands went to the edges of her shoulder wound and gently pressed along the edges.

Her wound was tender to any slight movement. The poor woman had to restrain herself from any activities in order to avoid pain. And that made her happy when she realized she was formally excused from knife throwing practices…not that it was worth the pain.

There were no painkillers in this world, much to Chinatsu's sadness.

After her molestation attack on Kakashi, Chinatsu was awoken from her dream-like state of mind with a burning sensation in her shoulder. The nurses and doctors yammered to Yamato and Kakashi, and approached Chinatsu with a glowing green hand.

The memories of a glowing hand made her shiver and cower from the medic's outstretched hand.

"Chinatsu, you don't need to be scared," Yamato said.

She merely shook her head. Her eyes were glued to the abnormally glowing ligament. "No, no. Bad. Bad."

Kakashi, whose mask was a bit moist from her recent attack, leaned forward, ignoring her flaming face as he concentrated on her small words. "Why? Why bad?" he asked.

Chinatsu's eyebrows were arched in concern as the doctor retracted his hand. "Bad," she whispered softly, holding her arm to her chest as if it was in pain. "Man. Red eye. Bad." Unconsciously, her hand came up and rubbed at the middle of her forehead, remembering well the first day she was brought into this hell of a world.

She would never forget the malevolent and bitter aura the man was encased in.

Yamato and Kakashi tried to question her further with her small words, but Chinatsu didn't understand them. In less than a minute, her eyes were already falling heavily and soon she fell asleep. Quickly, the medics healed her wounds and advised her team to have her stay away from any extraneous activities.

Killer B had been given a restraining woman for being caught by a nurse sucking the unconscious, sedated woman's finger, which was considered sexually harassment. Gaara immediately deported Killer B from Sunagakure once notified and nearly pummeled by Yamato and the rest.

Chinatsu then had been placed in a hotel room after being excused from the hospital by the nurses, which she was currently residing within.

It was a nice-looking hotel. Not too shabby.

The walls were beige. A wooden drawer and a table were pressed up against the wall, decorated with miscellaneous things that someone would find use in. The bed was presented in the middle of the room, piled with the many colorful blankets for the cold night. It was a very humble room, a room that was hers to use and claim.

Chinatsu didn't know where the others were. It was somewhat uncomfortable and eerie that she was alone, as she was rarely left unaccompanied, but Chinatsu needed to become independent. She had noticed how dependent she had become on Yamato, and to a degree it disgusted the 21st century woman. The stubborn, hardheaded woman she was demanded independence and that is what she will get.

It was all baby steps, really.

The brown-haired girl sighed and gazed out the window. The sky was beautiful at this time.

The lightest blue of colors whisked in the sky, dipping and spreading across the canvas as if God himself had painted in. Tendrils and small tufts of clouds lie here and there while the sun shined brightly from the south. The bright, hot weather paralleled to the villagers. They were chatting animatedly, skipping along with their duties as if they weren't living in an oven.

A frown played at her lips. It was one of the reasons why she didn't go outside and explore at this time of the day. She'd wait until it was cooler.

For the meantime, she'll do some exploring of the hotel.

Chinatsu wasn't given a key or card for her room door. She had looked high and low for anything that would look like an entrance to the door, but it was no anvil. The only thing inside of the room, besides the recognizable burlap bag Ebisu had packed for her, was a coat. It looked like a man's coat. The woman merely sighed, grabbed the coat (thinking the men had given it to her), and left the door unlock, knowing well that she had no valuables inside.

Walking down the corridor of the adobe-looking hallway, she passed a redhead teen, nodded to him in politeness and continued her way merrily as she put on the coat.

What she didn't know was that the redhead was following her quietly from behind.

Chinatsu took her sweet, sweet time exploring. Her fingers traced the bumpy walls as her eyes sought out the windows. Small pots were placed on brown tables along the corridor, giving the hallways a much homey feeling. It wasn't until Chinatsu ran into a door did she notice this was not a hotel.

A sleepy man blinked at her with confusion as a blonde woman narrowed her eyes.

"Who are you?" The blond snapped.

"Geez, Temari, don't be so mean." Kankuro yawned, stretching his arms over his head. "Don't be afraid. She just woke up—"

"Too damn early, I say!" Temari snarled.

"Temari."

Chinatsu yelped, moving away quickly from the entrance of the room and watched as the redhead she passed by walked into the dining room with a slight frown to his face. She watched as they conversed: one being stoic, the other completely trash talking, and the other whining. It was much like watching a dynamic fight against siblings.

"Eh? A mission?" Kankuro questioned, sitting up quickly from his leaning posture against the wooden chair. "With her?"

"Yes. I've decided both you and Temari are to join the Hokage's jounin team to the Wise Woman's keep." Gaara said.

"What?" Temari yelled, standing up straight. "But, Gaara! The Wise Woman is our—"

Gaara shook his head. "It doesn't matter. The Hokage needs to know some very valuable information immediately. And the only way to get it is by the Wise Woman." His turquoise eyes slid to the woman nervously shuffling from foot to foot behind him. "The woman is harmless and the team members are genuine. Don't disappoint me by leading them into a false direction, Temari."

It was no secret the four-tailed blond was fiercely protective over Sunagakure's ancestor: an old woman who lived well over three centuries wanted by many people.

Chinatsu fiddled with her fingers as the three talked too quickly for her to grasp any words before turning heel and leaving. Their voices disappeared with each step taken. Continuing with no sense of direction, Chinatsu took swirls and spins, making a quick turn to the left and opened a door only to be greeted by a gust of hot, hot wind.

She placed a hand to cover her sun-blinded eyes and peered at the sight.

The building structures here were much different than it was back at the other place. Every building was circular, patted down with what seems like adobe to withstand the heated weather and most likely sand storms. Small windows were created to look out but not for things to come in. People's clothes were very different as well. Where citizens of Konoblahblahblah (something Chinatsu had a hard time to pronounce) wore funky cut off clothes in the California-like weather, these people wore long sleeves, and the length of the woman's dress would be to their ankles while the men wore pants to theirs as well. The clothes somewhat reminded Chinatsu of the Middle East back in her world.

Stepping out hesitatingly, Chinatsu glanced around to see that people were walking around talking and laughing. Nervously, she glanced back to see whether or not she should leave and explore.

The innate curiosity within her pecked at her mind to ignore the rules and go out, but the possibility of something out there that could harm her or kidnap her nagged at Chinatsu. Sighing, and planning to retreat back inside, Chinatsu put her hands in a coat and came to a stop.

"_What the…?" _She grabbed whatever was inside of the coat she was wearing and pulled out a small brown pocketknife.

Confused, she put her hand into the other pocket and pulled out a wallet. Chinatsu opened it and saw Kakashi's face on one side of the interior.

This was Kakashi's coat!

Putting back the wallet where it belonged, Chinatsu was about to put back the coat and go inside when suddenly she heard a commotion. She turned to see a bunch of teenagers running around and laughing. There was an old man on the floor cursing their very existence as the fruits he had in his basket rolled away from him. Instead of helping him, people gathered their children and walked around the mess.

Chinatsu paused for a moment before approaching the old man. She collected the fallen fruit on her way and placed them in the basket. During the whole time, she didn't realize that the old man was talking to her.

"What the hell are you doing, gaijin?" The old man sneered as he watched the woman gather the fruits. "Don't think you can steal those from me just cause I'm old! I still go the moves, you whore!"

Chinatsu turned to the old man, frowning as he talked with words she didn't understand. She gently placed the basket on the floor and offered the man her hand. She yelped as he grabbed at it with a strength that could kill and hauled him up.

"Just cause you're helping me doesn't mean you can have a fruit!" he yelled.

"Here," she said in her horribly accented voice and offered him his basket.

The old man squinted his eyes at her in suspicion, leaning against his wooden cane before snorting. "Follow me and don't fall behind!"

Chinatsu blinked, watching as the old man walked away slowly. His hunchback refused to turn while he waved a knobby arm as if asking her to follow him. Anxious, Chinatsu glanced back at the building she was in, memorized it and went after the old man, hoping that she would recognize the roads to come back.

"And don't think you can eat an apple while I'm turned away! I can hear a pin fall from four miles away, gaijin! I was the best warrior in Sunagakure…."

On and on the grandfather talked, weaving through houses and marketplaces as if he was trying to lose someone. Chinatsu followed him without difficulty, admiring the many things that were out for sell and food that teased her senses. Her stomach growled loudly, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything for quite a while.

"I defeated many ninjas! Those kunoichi bitches didn't even stand a chance against me with their seduction techniques!" The old man cackled. "You listening, gaijin?"

Chinatsu nodded politely.

He actually turned around and squinted at her. "You don't speak or what?"

"Yes."

"Yes you don't speak or yes you speak?"

Chinatsu only smiled.

The old man rolled his eyes. "Where the hell are you from, gaijin? Everybody speaks Japanese." His blue eyes fell to the basket in her hands she was dutifully carrying and sighed as if he had a big burden upon him. "Well, I suppose I can teach you some words, got it? Say yes." At her forced acceptation, the old man leaned forward, waving her down with his liver-spotted hand before saying the following word: fuck.

Chinatsu watched as the man waved at her and frowned. "Fuh-ckuh."

"No, no, no. Fuck."

"Fu-koo?"

"Fuck!"

"Fuck."

"Yes, yes! Fuck!"

"Fuck!"

The old man laughed hysterically before turning around and walking. He repeated many words and had Chinatsu parroting them back to him. He realized people were staring at them with horrified expressions and couldn't help but have her say them louder to shoo those dratted civilians.

He hadn't had this much fun in ages!

"Ojiji!"

"God dammit," the old man said.

"God dammit," Chinatsu repeated.

A young man weaved through the crowd in exasperation as he followed the curses reverberating in the air. He apologized profusely to nearby citizens, hearing them complain loudly about the old man cursing like a low-life.

Yukimura frowned at his grandfather who regarded him with a sullen face. "Ojiji, what are you doing?"

"I'm having fun with this gaijin," the old man replied.

Yukimura stiffened. "Stop using that word!" Gaijin was a derogatory term for foreigners that were used against those from neighboring countries. While to his grandfather it was a joke, some people took it as an offensive word.

"She is!" the old man protested. "I can feel she's not of this world. She's completely different!"

His grandson ignored him and turned to the woman. "I'm so sorry about my grandfather. He can be difficult at times because of his age." Yukimura ignored his grandfather's curses and continued to apologize to the woman.

Chinatsu felt her face flushing with red.

This guy…was devilishly handsome.

His blond hair reflected from the sun, creating a beautiful sheen against it as the wind ruffled it gently. Kind, gentle doe-like brown eyes gazed at her with something Chinatsu could describe as apologetic. His body was wide and well nicely built, much like a linebacker. Nice lips that were made for kissing were like pillows. She smiled at him goofily as he gestured towards the basket. Without a word, she handed it off to him.

"I'm Yukimura," he introduced.

"Chinatsu," she said and shook his hand.

"Please, please, come in." Yukimura turned and ran off to a building and opened the door.

"Come on in, we'll continue your lessons." The old man laughed and went inside.

Chinatsu stood out there for a while, unsure if she should proceed on not. With a worried expression, she turned and glanced around only to see that she didn't recognize where she was and how to go home. Dammit! Chinatsu was getting distracted from the words the old man was teaching her.

"Is something wrong?"

Yukimura came out and frowned at the woman.

"Home…eh, I go home. Home no see." Chinatsu mumbled as her eyes roved around for familiarity.

Frowning, he turned to his grandfather who was perched at the doorstep. "Where did you find her, ojiji?"

"Near the Kazekage's building!"

"Okay. Stay home, ojiji, I'll be back." Yukimura turned to Chinatsu and offered her his hand, which was as well nicely defined. "Come, I'll take you home."

Chinatsu stared at his hand and hesitatingly placed her hand into it.

Throughout the whole time, Chinatsu swear she was falling in love.

Yukimura, the hottie next to her, dragged her gently behind. From time to time, he would stop and point at different objects and food, explaining their uses and whatnot. Chinatsu hadn't realized that they were wandering around the marketplace, instead of going home. She held his hand fiercely as he dragged her around, showing her the different culture and fashion of Sunagakure.

He had even brought her to the playground for children and pointed at some of them he knew. The kids gathered around him and pestered him to play, which he did along with Chinatsu. They placed as animals hunting the kid as they shrieked with laughter.

Everything had disappeared. Every single little thing that had made her life so difficult disappeared as she played with the children. It was as if she was back home, despite the funky clothes and very differently genetic-colored Japanese people.

There was no training, no studying, no traveling, no talking animals, and no magically enhanced humans.

It was very peaceful.

Chinatsu hadn't realized it was quickly becoming dark until her stomach reminded her of her hunger. Yukimura was a gentleman. When her stomach had growled loudly, he paused and frowned at her blushing face.

"Are you hungry?"

Chinatus nodded guiltily. The kids cried out in protest as they attempted to leave them, forcing them to promise to return and play. As soon as that was done (with a promise handshake which was too complicated for Chinatsu to remember), immediately, he dragged her off to a small roach coach-like thing. He guided her to an empty table and went to order food. In less than five minutes, he came back with plates that were filled with deliciousness.

Now, this was something she recognized!

It was teriyaki chicken with a scoop of rice and three tempura shrimp along with a small bowl of miso soup off to the side.

She nearly cried from the recognition of it.

"My friend works here. Lucky for us we got our order ready quick," Yukimura said as he placed both trays upon the table. He went off and was quick to return with cups of water. "Here, this is my treat since you've been bothered by my grandfather, who is not the easiest person to get along with, let me tell you that."

"Good," Chinatsu said, stuffing her mouth with the sweet tasting chicken.

Yukimura nodded in agreement. "So, where you from?"

She paused in her eating. "Mmmm, Kono…kono…ahhhh." Damn, she couldn't remember what it was called.

"Ah, Konohagakure!"

"Yes," she nodded. "Me, there."

Yukimura frowned. "Really? But…you don't speak Japanese as well. Are you from a different area?"

Shit, she didn't understand what he was saying. Chinatsu shrugged helplessly and started chewing at a tempura shrimp lathered in soy sauce.

He watched the woman before him as she inhaled the food before her. Yukimura laughed, watching her. She was interesting for a person, and he was someone who didn't regularly get along with others. Maybe it was because she managed to deal with his grandfather when nobody wanted to put up with the old crazy retired shinobi. After many missions for the old man, there was just enough to break a ninja's spirit and mind.

It was one of the reasons why civilians did everything they can to avoid the retired shinobis.

They were like those with broken minds, unable to be healed.

"Why did you help my grandfather?"

Chinatsu lifted her head and stared at him. "He fell," she answered softly. "I help."

And that was enough for Yukimura to fall for her.

Chinatsu was given a word by Yukimura and told to use it in specific sentences as they ate. There were times where she was pronouncing words wrong, and he would point it out and have her repeat it until he was satisfied with her pronunciation. He was a good teacher, a hot one, but a good one.

"The flower is pretty."

"The flower is pretty."

"That picture is pretty."

"That picture is pretty."

"Chinatsu is pretty."

"Chinatsu is pretty."

Yukimura chuckled. He noticed a bit of sauce at the edge of her lips and couldn't help but lift a hand and wipe it off with his thumb. To some, it would look romantic between the couple as a male was trying to woo the female. And that's when the unthinkable happened.

"Chinatsu."

Chinatsu jerked away from Yukimura's hand and glanced off to the side to see Yamato, Kakashi, and Ebisu. And boy, were they not happy.

It had been a long day for them all.

They had been searching for her for nearly the entire day. As soon as the alarm had been raised due to her disappearance, they were in and out of the country like ants. Because she had no chakra in the beginning of her existence, nobody knew how to detect her nonetheless feel for her chakra. But Yamato, who had been living with her the longest, had an idea of her chakra signature and did an imitation of it for the others.

The only problem was that her signature flickered off and on throughout the day, leaving them on dry trails.

She chirped their names and smiled without even realizing the tension of this situation. Her smile had crestfallen when their strict expressions did not ease. Chinatsu's eyebrows rose in concern and she chewed her lips in nervousness. "Hi?" she said, unsure whether or not she was in the deepest pile of crap.

Yamato was the first to move. He stepped forward, completely ignoring Yukimura who was frowning. "Where have you been?" he asked, low and soft in a deadly way.

It was terrifying.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Yukimura finally asked, disturbed by the situation. His eyes narrowed at the sight of three men who glared at his new friend with not only irritation but also fury. "Can I help you?"

Nobody regarded him. "Let's go." Yamato leaned forward and grabbed her hand.

Chinatsu still sat there on her chair and pulled her hand back slightly. "No."

If anything, Yamato's face was darkening, and it was not the creepy face that was coming up. "Chinatsu," he snapped.

Dammit, she was not a child! Chinatsu was perfectly fine taking care of herself. She didn't need a babysitter just to roam around the place. She was neither royalty nor fragile, she can do fine on her own! Chinatsu could feel the other guests of the place staring at her and her face flushed with humiliation. "Yamato, no," she protested and tried to stop him.

But he didn't listen. When Yamato attempted to pull her up once again, Yukimura grabbed Yamato's wrist.

"Now wait a minute here—"

With speed that cannot be compared, Kakashi had the civilian by the back of his shirt and pulled away from the scene. "Who are you?" Kakashi interrogated, his one eye glaring at him in suspicion. With Chinatsu's identity already exploding throughout the nation, he cannot take any chance with someone as small as a mere civilian.

"What the fuck?" Yukimura shouted, shoving at Kakashi's chest and placing some distance between them. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Three figures fell from the sky, landing between the two men.

"Kakashi-san, we have the situation taken care of. Feel free to return to your assigned rooms." The Sunagakure ANBU leader said lowly, facing the irate man.

There was no hesitation as Yamato heaved the woman over his shoulder and all three men shot for the skies.

Chinatsu grappled at Yamato's back, ducking her head down and kept quiet throughout the journey in the dark night. There was no way for the woman to even protest against their seek and destroy moment. She couldn't even doubt that she wasn't in trouble. Chinatsu had a good look at their face and they looked anything but pleased with her. She hadn't done anything wrong! She was just wondering around and getting to know the area.

"Oof!" Chinatsu grunted as Yamato landed harshly.

He placed his hands upon her waist and brought her back down to her feet as he kneeled. As soon as she was stabilized, Yamato turned her around by her shoulders and pushed her through the very door she had walked out of.

"Idiot," Yamato hissed, digging his fingers into the softness of her shoulder. "You're an idiot, Chinatsu! Do you know what you could have cost us?"

Genma, who was leaning against the wall of the corridor keeping watch, straightened up from his position. "Be gentle, will you?"

"I have to side with Yamato on this, Genma. She was exposed to everyone. Anyone could've plucked her up and taken her with them in a heartbeat." Kakashi said, following the Yamato as he led them to their room. "I don't think she realize how valuable she is and how much of a danger she can become if she falls in the wrong hands."

"How do you expect to tell her that if she doesn't even understand us more than half of the time?" Genma rolled his eyes.

"We should have someone babysit her twenty four-seven." Yamato commented.

"But didn't we? He didn't do a very good job at it." Genma gave a droll look to a blubbering Ebisu.

As they walked down the corridor of the Kazekage's building, they bumped into Temari who was staring at Chinatsu suspiciously. She nodded them at their greeting and watched them as they walked into the assigned rooms Gaara had given them. As soon as they all entered, she shook her head and continued to walk, thinking how in the world that mousey girl was connected to the Senju blood.

Chinatsu was thrown inside the room with a grunt from Yamato. She waddled in, rubbing the area Yamato was gripping madly. She crossed her arms defensively as she saw Raidou throwing her a harsh glare.

"_I didn't do anything wrong!" _Chinatsu snapped, narrowing her eyes at them all as they took their places around the room. She sat down on the edge of one of the beds. _"I was only walking around the place. Jesus, you didn't have to embarrass me in front of everyone." _

"Chinatsu, Japanese," Yamato demanded.

She let out a long frustrated groan, throwing her hands up in the air. "I okay. You, all, mean!"

"We're not being mean intentionally, Chinatsu—" Yamato started but was cut off when Kakashi raised a hand.

The copy cat-nin walked up to the girl. "Yes, we are mean, Chinatsu. But we are mean because we have to protect you, do you understand? You are in constant danger. Everybody wants you. Remember, red eyes?" At her shudder, Kakashi realized that he was getting to her. "Yes, him and the snake, and the others want you."

Chinatsu wrapped her arms around herself, confused and befuddled. "I…I don't understand."

Raidou grabbed off a piece of paper and started drawing. He drew a somewhat decent picture of Orochimaru, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Madara. The man showed her the picture and watched as she leaned away from it, recognizing the faces. "They want you," he said, pointing at her. "But we…." Without finishing his sentence, Raidou crumpled up the paper and stomped on it. "To protect you."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because you…" Ebisu started but stopped when Genma placed a hand upon his shoulder.

"This is not the best place to discuss about that," he said, his eyes roving around the corners of the room.

"This is the Kazekage's home, Genma. How could it possibly be bugged by the others?" Ebisu snapped. It was then when Yamato reached into the wooden walls, did he reveal a small camera that was latched on the walls near the window.

"Someone bugged the room."

Raidou frowned. "This is bad."

"I thought Sunagakure wasn't in this?" Kakashi stalked over to the window, signaling Ebisu to kill the light and watched the outside nightlife.

"Doesn't mean that there traitors in Sunagakure who wants her." Genma said.

"We should start traveling immediately."

"No, let's debug this room and sleep in it. Tomorrow we'll travel."

"Tomorrow's too soon!" Ebisu hissed. "She hasn't healed properly!"

"We can carry her!"

"It doesn't matter, we have to move fast!"

"Why?"

All of them stopped talking as their head snapped to the woman who shot up from the bed. Chinatsu was panting, fueling on terror and pure panic. "Why?" she asked once again, pointing to the crumpled up drawing on the floor. She had been thickheaded, oblivious to everything, but it all made sense. For some reason, Chinatsu was something different in this world and people wanted her for it. There had been more than one attack upon her from her stay here. Jesus, how could she have overlooked that?

Where Chinatsu had foolishly claimed that she was able to protect herself, Chinatsu was now dead sure she couldn't. She couldn't especially up against the men Raidou had drawn. They had magically abilities and she had rudimentary Japanese. She was utterly defenseless and vulnerable.

When no one answered her, Chinatsu went on an overdrive.

"Run, I run! Hide!" she said, darting for the door. She screamed when Yamato's arms circled around her and yanked her away from the door. "No, no, no, no!"

"Chinatsu, calm down." Yamato said through gritted teeth. He managed to drag her away from the door and to the bed. "Genma, go notify the Kazekage that everything is under control. I don't need someone coming in because of her screaming just for nothing." As soon as that was done, Yamato placed Chinatsu on the bed.

What he didn't expect was a hellcat.

The moment her back touched the mattress, Chinatsu turned into a wild cat. She snarled, throwing her fists about and kicked out her leg. Yamato gasped when her leg made contact with his stomach and dropped to the floor as the air flew out of him. Ebisu was the next victim, falling for her teary eyes as she threw her elbow into his throat. Just as she was about to fly off the bed someone landed on her.

Kakashi moved in a flash when all hell broke loose. He pinned down her hands and sat upon her stomach. All the rubbing, moving, and fighting unintentionally warmed him up deliciously for something he would rather do with a willing partner and chanted words of prayers that he would not embarrass himself in front of his colleagues. "Chinatsu," he said, lowering his head down to her thrashing one. "Look at me!"

Chinatsu refused, closing her eyes. "I run, I run!" she yelled, kicking out her legs hopelessly. "Please, I run! Need run! Hide, hide! I no go them!" And when they still didn't listen to her, she started sobbing in her native language. _"Please, I'm begging you! I'll go run and hide. I don't want to be caught by them! If they catch me, they'll torture me! I don't want to be hurt! I don't want any pain! Please, let me go, Ga-ga-ji. I'll hide!"_

Her struggling went on for another ten minutes before the woman stopped in exhaustion. She cried and cried about how unfair her life was. The woman wanted to go home but was unable to due to some freak accident.

"_Home, I want to go home." _

Yamato smoothed her hair away from her sweat-soaked skin. "Chinatsu, it's okay," he murmured lowly. He attempted to calm her but it was no use.

Kakashi, who was still over her, relaxed his grip on her. "Raidou, put her to sleep."

Agreeing on it, the scarred man whipped his hands up to the most basic of jutsus. The man stayed in that position for a while, blinking rapidly when he realized his jutsu wasn't working on her. "I…it's not working," he exclaimed in shock.

The wooden technique user was the second to try, and he, too, failed. It had thrown Yamato off but he snapped his fingers as soon as he realized something. "Her chakra signature is off."

"Does it always do that?" Raidou asked. It wasn't natural for anyone's chakra to go blank.

"Recently. She didn't have a chakra signature before." Yamato sighed as he looked down at the crying woman. "We'll just have her sleep when she tires."

Kakashi cursed. "Do we have sleeping pills?"

"Genma does."

"Can't risk it. We don't know if she's allergic to anything in it." Raidou quipped. "We'll just have to calm her down for now. If she doesn't, she will by the time midnight comes. Lord knows Asuma and Kurenai's son does."

While the three men were arguing and discussing about how to put the crying woman to sleep, Ebisu was rummaging around his bags. He hummed pleasantly, picking up a small children's booklet and nodded. Turning, he walked to the bed and flicked Chinatsu's forehead hard.

She yelped and looked up at him with wary, shocked eyes.

"Chinatsu, what is this?" he asked, pointing at a picture.

Chinatsu blinked. The booklet Ebisu was holding had a picture of a ninja in between a cowering woman and an evil man with a sword. She studied to picture, listening somewhat to Ebisu as he pointed to the picture. His finger tapped the picture a couple of times before gesturing to the others around her.

"We'll protect you."

"Protect?"

Ebisu nodded. "Yes. We will help you."

Ahhh, that was a word she knew. She went completely lax upon the bed, staring at the picture. And that's when Chinatsu felt foolish.

Hadn't they been doing that all along?

Shameful of her actions and humiliated by her breakdown, Chinatsu closed her eyes and looked away. She nodded to Ebisu when he asked if she understood and whispered the word under her breath for their clarification.

At that moment, Genma (who had been notifying the Kazekage of their unruly ward) walked into the room and gasped in horror before yelling loudly, "What the fuck are you guys doing to her?"

**Just a little humiliation and self-realization for Chinatsu. (: **

**I know it doesn't seem like much of a chapter, but I needed to give Chinatsu some way (without really stressing it upon her) to make her realize that she's a lot more valuable than she think she is. Even with the kidnapping and the mini-wars, she's a little oblivious. **

**Glad to see that there are more reviewers and newcomers! I'm enjoying all your reviews, haha! **

**I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. The next one will be a ride! :DD**

**Nevvy **ivyslade _mysticalFairth_ **chrysanths **kenegi _Akari . Wolf . Princess _**haleo86** brooklyn-nyc _haipa-chan_ **watergoddesskasey** Riialuvsanime _RandomCitizen_ **Eternal Cat Moon** Thomas Drovin

**Guest – **Glad you're enjoying it so far!


	20. Endeavor

**Chapter 20: Endeavor**

After they all had come to an understanding, Chinatsu was set for punishment for her disappearance the following day.

Kakashi reported the bugged room and the Kazekage himself went into each room and cleaned it out, demanding his ANBUs find the traitor and personally deliver them into his office. Once that was taken care of, Gaara showed them to their new room.

It was torturous.

She had been stuck in the same room as all of them, sitting on a desk that faced the wall and did her studies while the other men were playing card games. Her hand gripped the pencil tight and snarled at them as they hooted and laughed at each other's wins and losses. When she had discreetly tried to inch away from her homework, Ebisu (whose back was turned to hers) snapped his fingers and ordered her back onto the desk.

Dammit, she hated this!

Chinatsu knew she did something bad. But she had to knock herself in the head for it; they had a good reason to punish her. She deliberately disobeyed them and went off into her own wild adventure without realizing that she could've been harmed. There was an idea that she was wanted by people, but for what, she did not know.

Perhaps people knew she was not of this world and wanted to experiment on her.

…Maybe they were aliens.

Chinatsu's fingers twiddled with one another as she brood.

Was she that drastically different from every other human in this world? What did she contain? She was unsure what it was that the others wanted from her. It couldn't be knowledge, because she couldn't think of anything that would be useful to them from her world, with the exclusion of technology that is. But they were pretty fine with the way they were with their magical abilities! Maybe they wanted to know the secret of how she traveled through the parallel universe. Pfft, like she'd know.

The woman threaded her hand through her hair. Every little single kidnap and huge war-like scenes were back to back. She had thought for a millisecond that she was in a middle of a war between neighboring countries, but Chinatsu was present in most of them for it to be considered something else that wasn't related to her.

This was a mess.

Her brown eyes stared down gloomily at the work before her. Three of the books had red tags on them; it signified that she needed to finish all of these before midnight and it was well past ten.

Chinatsu was never going to finish this!

With one hand support her head, her other was writing down kanjis over and over.

_Plick!_

Her writing froze. Chinatsu frowned as looking out the window. She swore she thought she heard a rock hitting the window. Glancing over her shoulder to see that the men were still busy, she sat up straighter and looked out to see a small figure down below waving at her.

It was Yukimaru.

She smiled goofily and waved in secrecy so the others wouldn't notice. Picking up her booklet, she pointed to it and frowned, rotating her fist around her eyes to signal that she was in pain from studying. He merely laughed and pointed to her original room, and simply disappeared into the building.

Damn…how was she going to do that?

Inconspicuously, she looked back at the group and froze when they were all staring at her with suspicious eyes. Chinatsu shrugged and pointed at her word, "Fight."

"Use it in a sentence," Ebisu instructed.

"Ehhh…" Chinatsu puckered her lips in thought. "I fight you."

"Another one," Kakashi said.

Genma rolled his eyes. "That's a sentence. Come on, let's get back into the game!" he yelled and threw down his cards.

"No!" Yamato and Raidou cried out in dreadfulness.

"Full house, baby! Pay up, bitches!"

Chinatsu watched as all the men dashed forward to try and protect their betting goods against the cheater. She picked up her belongings and tiptoed to a frothing Ebisu before timidly tapping his shoulder. "Too loud. I go to room." Too busy defending his belongings, Ebisu waved her away and nodded.

She practically skipped to the other room.

By the time she opened it, Yukimura was already hauling himself through the window. "I'm here to help you with your homework!"

Thank the heavens for him!

He smiled at Chinatsu as she approached him and tried to help him into the room when suddenly he yelped in shock.

"My foot!"

They both glanced at his foot to see some sand-like tendril wrapping around it. It hooked on him like a bracelet as if he were in house arrest. The end led outside where they peeked out to see a red head standing there with his bodyguards. Yukimaru screeched as he was whipped out of the room and yanked down.

"Yuki!" Chinatsu called out.

Her room door burst open and the men flowed in. Immediately, Chinatsu was pulled away from the window by Yamato.

Kakashi went to the window and craned his head to see Gaara floating in the air with his sand wrapped around a civilian's ankle, hanging him upside down. "Kazekage-sama," he greeted.

Gaara, with his arms crossed over his chest, nodded in regards. "I've caught an admirer of your charge."

"You mean a bug," Genma corrected with angry eyes.

"I was going to help her with her homework!" Yukimaru protested, shoving his shirt up as it tried to slip past his stomach. "Kazekage-sama, please understand…I…I love the girl! Ack!" The civilian had no time to defend his love as his Kazekage enwrapped the man with his sand. Soon it was a cocoon floating adjacent to Gaara with small holes on the bottom to circulate air.

Yamato shook his head. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama for detecting him." Honestly, what had made Yukimura think he'd go undetected in a very important highly protected building?

Gaara said nothing. "I trust you will be ready to travel tomorrow? I see the woman isn't hurting from her wound."

Raidou nodded. "Hai, Kazekage-sama. Tomorrow, we will depart at the break of dawn."

"Good, I shall have my siblings ready at that time near the gates east of Sunagakure. Until then." Gaara disappeared in a swirl of sand and his bodyguards flickered out of sight.

Chinatsu felt the tension in the air as the men turned around to face her.

Now…her punishment was to practice her reading.

She threw a fit over it. Chinatsu was dragged back to the other room and forcibly pushed into her 'studying chair' (as she had dubbed it) by Yamato. She whined in English, throwing up her hands in the air and even going to a point where she threw all the books to the floor, making Ebisu look at her in horror. She felt guilty but she couldn't help it! She was sick and tired of studying Japanese over and over and proclaimed it until Yamato bopped her on the head. Chinatsu yelped and tried to block him off but it was useless as he did it again. Then, she did something that shocked them all.

"Fuck!"

Genma blinked rapidly and gasped. He then turned around and pointed at them all. "Who the hell taught her that word?"

"Well, you did curse last night," Kakashi said.

"That's cause I thought you guys were raping her!"

Raidou rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just tell her to not use it again."

Ebisu nodded in agreement, pushing his black-rimmed glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. He walked up to her righteously and smacked the back of her hand.

"Ouch! Dammit!"

"No curse words!" He did it again.

Chinatsu snarled and pulled back her hand. She glared at him while rubbing the reddening skin. The old fart had taught her bad words without her knowing and now she was being punished for it. When Chinatsu's study books were placed on the table, Ebisu pointed at them. "Read."

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed a book and flipped through the pages.

Satisfied, the men eased from their surrounding positions around her.

It was nearing noon and all Chinatsu wanted to do was go outside and find Yukimaru. She had to admit, when she was with that man, she forgot everything about the world and her problems. Her eyes slid to the men to see them busying themselves with sharpening their weapons and packing their bags. It nagged at her mind but Chinatsu shrugged it off. She flipped to a random page and started off the top.

"…Junko was sweating like…a pig…no, a stallion, thrustin'…thrusting in and out of his nemesis as she writhed beneath him as the seductive snake she was. Pinning her hands down to the chipped plaster wall, Junko laid his forehead upon hers and…" Chinatsu frowned and repeated the line again. "…His forehead down upon hers and kissed her savagely. His tongue was in sync with his rooster…no, his cock as the warm walls of her silken pussy enveloped it tight…no, no, snuggly. Her loud…uh, m…muuuhhh…mooeee….mooooans, his harsh pants, and the quiet clap of their stomachs were the only thing heard in the toilet…ehhh, bathroom! The heels of the woman, who attempted to kill Junko with a drop of water…poison into his ear,…dig…no, dug into the flesh of his buttocks, urging him faster and harder as she neared her climax with a stringy wail—"

"Indecent!" Ebisu yelled as he ripped the book out of Chinatsu's hands.

Chinatsu yelped in shock.

"Whom does this belong to?" Ebisu yelled, waving the Icha Icha Paradise book over his head. "Who?" He demanded.

Kakashi patted his vest before shaking his head. "I already have mine."

Raidou looked away. "I don't read dirty books."

"Fuck!" Genma sneered at his laughing peers before darting into the restroom with his hand to his crotch. "Trash my book and I'll kill you, Ebisu!" he shouted through the restroom door.

Konohamaru's instructor tossed the book at the door. "Someone give her another book!"

Nobody moved.

Raidou, with a blush setting upon his cheeks, revealed Vol. 2 of Icha Icha Paradise while Kakashi held his up with no embarrassment whatsoever.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves!" Yamato said. He went to his bag, rummaged around and retrieved a botany book on flowers and trees.

Kakashi's eyes went to the flower book Yamato pulled out. "Oh, really? You're asking me to be ashamed of myself when you're pulling out some flower book from the Yamanaka's shop?"

"Shut up!"

Yamato gives the book to a confused Chinatsu and waved a hand, demanding she started reading. She narrowed her eyes at them in suspicion before she was haggled to continue reading. As she read for the next three hours (she swore she thought she had cotton filling her mouth), Ebisu and the rest would correct her from time to time. Meanwhile a frustrated Genma streaked out of the restroom to find a 'pleasing' woman.

Chinatsu yawned as she turned to page one hundred and fifty-nine. "The plant, which is also known as poison ivy—"

"Alright enough!" Genma said, throwing the door open. "Come on, gentlemen, let us go hit the bars!"

Raidou glared at the senbon-chewing hobo. "No. We're on a mission. Not vacation."

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun!"

"We have responsibilities." Raidou stood up from the floor and stretched his arms over his head. "And as Captain, I will not have my subordinates do anything unrelated to the mission."

Like a temperamental child, Genma threw himself on the ground and started rolling all over it. "But I'm so bored! Please, Raidou, please!"

"No!"

Chinatsu jumped from the keening cry coming from Genma. She frowned, pausing in her reading to watch Genma throwing a fit that could rival her own. She watched as the men started shaking their heads while some stood up and tried to convince Raidou of something. Chinatsu was able to catch a few words, but they were talking too fast for her to understand.

She sighed and returned her gaze to the book on the table before her. This was all very boring. Like tongue twisters, her mouth was becoming very dry and sore. Chinatsu didn't understand anything she was saying. She caught a few bit of colors here and there along with some grammatical words, but nothing else.

Closing the book, she leaned her head back and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Evening was creeping along and the skies were turning darker seductive colors.

"Alright, Chinatsu, you've earned a break." Yamato said.

Finally!

She stood up from her chair and leaned from side to side, stretching out her muscles.

Genma sighed loudly and hung his shoulders low. "If we're going to observe," he said gruntingly. "…the village, we might as well hit the titty bar afterwards."

Kakashi stared at Genma. "That…is actually not a bad idea."

Yamato glared at Kakashi. "We are not going to a titty bar with Chinatsu."

"Then you can walk around with her," Ebisu mumbled beneath his breath.

None were surprised from the hentai's words. Raidou shook his head. "We are not doing this again, Genma! I already told you all that we were not on a vacation! I am allowing Chinatsu to wander around the nightlife of Sunagakure with us by her sides in order for all of us to get a break, but I will not tolerate any titty bars, alcohol, nor prostitutes of any kind!"

"Raidou, you're killing me!"

"Rules are rules."

"Please!"

"No."

"Pleaaaaaase!"

"No, dammit!" Raidou straightened out the wrinkles on his shirt before narrowing his eyes on his team members as some of them looked at him gloomily. "Now, are we going to cruise around or are we going to stay in here and listen to Chinatsu read some more?"

The nightlife was just as exciting as it was in the morning.

At first, she had thrown a fit at the thought of exiting. She had just learned her life was on the line and now they were willing to let her roam around? Ha! It was then when Ebisu coaxed her from the locked bathroom, did he tell her they were to protect her. It convinced her after a full hour.

Chinatsu was neatly changed and looking around at the activities this place produced. Her eyes were constantly moving from side to side, soaking in all of it as the men walked around her like bodyguards. She didn't mind as much, perking her head this way and that to ogle at clothes, accessories, decorations, and weapons.

She stopped in front of one stall. The men were chitchatting, walking a bit beyond but no farther as she studied the oriental fans displayed like a peacock in the lush fields.

Unable to hold herself back, she reached out to touch the outline of one fan.

"Ouch!" she hissed and drew her hand back quickly. Blood welled from her newly acquired cut and she quickly stuck it in her mouth.

The men quickly rushed to her side.

"What happened?" Genma gasped, grabbing her hand and pulling it up close to his face so that he was peering at her cut with his superb optical vision. "Oh, dear, you're in pain!" he said and simply popped her finger into his mouth.

Chinatsu yanked her hand back and kicked Genma's shin. "No!"

Yamato growled and bopped Genma's head with a hard fist. "Pervert!"

"I was just trying to help!"

"Welcome!" A man flourished out from the drapes of his stall and frolicked towards his customers. Set in a beautiful purple and white kimono, he giggled, batting his overly thick eyelashes at the very masculine men before him. The drag queen sighed gently and plastered himself to a bewilder Genma's chest in such a helpless manner one would compare with a damsel in distress. "How…how may I help you?" he asked coyly, battering those lashes once more.

Genma gagged and backpedaled fast.

The man-woman was not insulted. His blue eyes went to Kakashi who froze on the spot. "What was it that caught your attention, sir? Was it…." He plucked the edge of hand-made kimono and lifted it slowly so that his hairy, muscled leg popped out and peeked at Kakashi. "…pretty old me that caught your eye?"

The area around Kakashi's eye actually turned green.

As much as Yamato would love to see Kakashi squirm, he cleared his throat. "Our…my sister was interested in your displays."

"Oh, yes. My fans!" As if his fans alone were his pride and joy, the man detached himself from Kakashi and stood on the opposite side of the fans. "Welcome to Misaki's Fans! Every beautiful woman needs protection in this dangerous world, so I've created something subtle, beautiful, yet just as deadly. Here, here, feel the light weight of it!"

Misaki snapped up a fan and threw it in the air. It twirled elegantly before landing on the palm of his hand with a smack. He snapped it close and held it to Raidou.

Raidou hesitated, watching Misaki's face before grabbing it. His brows raised and lips pinched, as he was impressed with fan. The shinobi snapped it open and held it back. He squinted at the edges of the fan, noticing it glinting from the hanging lantern. "Is that…is that metal?"

"Yes! Very thin malleable metal, but still as strong, sharp, and firm as any other katana or kunai!" Misaki gestured to the others on the table. "Not only is it a weapon, but it is easy for women to conceal. It can be used as an accessory or taken to a ball for the matter!"

Chinatsu looked at one fan with a beautifully drawn koi fish. Slowly, she reached out and traced the scales of it, following the fins and ending at the tail. Her mother loved koi fish. There had been a moment where she wanted to build a fish pond in their garden simply because her mother loved them.

"Do you like?"

She turned to Kakashi and flushed. She turned her head away and nodded. "Pretty."

"We'll take this one," Kakashi said, pointing to the one Chinatsu was admiring.

"Oh, this one is my absolute favorite!" Misaki exclaimed. He grabbed it and sighed as he gazed at it with complete adoration. "There was…there was a man I had met at Iwagakure during my travels. He inspired this fan. A slippery fish he was, indeed, that night."

The men cringed and quickly traded money before dragging Chinatsu away. They told her countless times to stop playing with the fan but she couldn't help it. It was that pretty. Her eyes washed over the fish more than once to a point where she was slowly in pace; something the quick men didn't realize.

"Oi, Chinatsu!"

Chinatsu, who was lagging behind from admiring her new fan, turned to see Yukimaru trailing after them and waved at the enthusiastic man before yelling, "Yukimaru!"

The gorgeous specimen of a man smiled at her with those glistening, shining teeth of his as he stood before her. He panted and shook his head as his bangs fell over his eyes. "I managed to finally run away from the Kazekage." Though he was smiling and in a good manner, the minute before he was a trembling canine before the stoic Kazekage.

Yukimaru glanced over Chinatsu's shoulders to see the men there bickering at one another. "So, wanna go somewhere?"

Chinatsu tilted her head and merely smiled at him as she did not understand what he had said. "Look!" she said and whipped out her newly acquired fan. "Ga-ga-ji, buy me!"

"That's beautiful," Yukimaru said slowly, cursing the men she was with. "Come on, let's go somewhere." He grabbed her by the wrist and didn't have a moment to spare before they were caught.

"Atata," Genma clicked his tongue as he quickly appeared at Chinatsu's side. "You!" Genma squawked as he had come to quickly recognize the boy. "Didn't you learn your lesson the first time, kid?"

Chinatsu pointed at Yukimaru. "Friend," she simply said.

Yamato shook his head. "Come on. Let's go, Chinatsu." The wooden technique user grabbed her hand and tried to usher her away, but the woman yanked her hand away.

"No, no!" Chinatsu yelled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yukimaru, friend! Good friend. Want, together."

Like the big brother he was, Yamato frowned. "Chinatsu, enough of this or we're going back to the house and you'll return to your readings immediately until the break of dawn, you hear?" When she refused to listen to him, he growled. "If you're going to act like a child, I'm going to punish you like a child."

"Will there be spanking involved?" Genma asked.

Yukimaru placed himself between Yamato and Chinatsu, ignoring the man's glowering face. "Hey, man, let her make her own choices." Yukimura tried to defend.

Before Yamato even had a chance to pummel this civilian who wanted to play with the ninjas, Kakashi placed his hand on his shoulder. Kakashi stared at Yukimaru and warned him with deadly intent. "Leave, you don't know what you're dealing with."

The civilian glared. "I know fully well what I'm dealing with."

Genma snorted.

Kakashi sighed, snapping his fingers at Genma to deal with the situation. He then grabbed Chinatsu around the shoulder before herding her towards another direction. Yukimaru watched as Chinatsu's head hung low much like a child receiving a tongue lash from an irate parent.

"You cannot keep us from our love!" Yukimaru declared as he pointed at Genma.

Genma only stared at the guy with a look of disbelief. "Jesus, he's just as bad as Gai."

Yamato rolled his eyes and ushered the others towards Kakashi and Chinatsu. "Come on. It's just a civilian. I'm sure he'll be dealt with as soon as we report to Gaara-san." Ebisu and Raidou followed after Yamato, ignoring a snarling Genma as he glared at Yukimaru.

"Why do you keep following her?" Genma snapped.

"I love her!" Yukimaru claimed, stomping his foot.

Genma snorted. "Oh, yeah. You love her like any man would love a willing woman, that's what." He rolled his eyes. "Don't try to trick me."

"I'm not!"

"Tch." Genma looked back to see both Kakashi and Yamato reprimanding Chinatsu from afar. "You see that guy? The one with the white hair? That's her fiancé, and he is not happy."

"She's engaged?" Yukimaru gasped.

Genma nodded slowly, relishing in Yukimaru's expression of horror.

"Well…well, I suppose we can be friends then." Yukimaru sighed in resignation.

Genma rolled his eyes as he was now annoyed with this hopeless chap. "What, friends with benefits?"

"…If she wants."

"Get out!" Genma shoves Yukimura back. He whistled sharply three times and quickly three Sunagakure ANBUs were at sight. "Take him out of here!" He watched with a sour expression as Yukimaru was grasped by the arms and hauled away. Clicking his tongue rapidly and angrily, he stomped up to Chinatsu, who looked like a punished dog, and chided at her. "With the way you are, you need a chastity belt." He still couldn't forget finding Killer B sucking at her finger vehemently and shuddered at the memory of it.

"Oh because they still make those, huh?" Yamato laughed.

"You just have to be creative." Genma said lowly, lowering his head like a dog hunting for bait. "Like that!"

Before anybody could register what was going on, Genma disappeared and returned a minute later with the most horrid looking woolen sweater ever. "Tada!"

Raidou grimaced. "Who the hell made that, a blind man?"

"How did you know?" Genma blinked innocently.

Raidou was even flabbergasted at the article Genma was holding. "There is no way in hell she's going to wear that willingly."

"You don't know that!" He said over his shoulder and started his walk towards the isolated trio.

Chinatsu pouted and looked away from the two men who continued to admonish her for her actions. Like a sullen child, she sighed and ignored them. She didn't understand why they were so irritated with her. Yukimaru was a friend. There was no way that devilishly handsome man could be someone who could go up against her, especially when he introduced her to the village life here.

Yamato chides her. "People can be dangerous."

"Why?" Chinatsu asked sadly.

"It's for your own good."

Chinatsu merely sighed and relented to his harsh words, pretending to understand what he said in order to shut him up. There was something about Yamato that agitated the hell out of her when he acted like a mother hen. When she felt a hand patting her shoulder, she turned around and met the abomination of earth. Throughout the night, Genma was persistent in Chinatsu wearing the fuzziest, woolen sweater that came out of the bowels of the sewers. It was an olive green color, and there was also a suspicious stain off on the sleeve that looked like dried blood.

It was disgusting.

By morning, the gang rose up to the crack of dawn and prepared for their second part of the mission. Yamato, ever being the mother hen, took the responsibility to wake up the sleeping woman and usher her to the bathroom to freshen up. Despite the hellcat snarling and hissing at everyone, Chinatsu was downstairs with the rest by the time the sun was peeking over the horizon.

She yawned obnoxiously, ignoring Yamato's fierce gaze as she scratched the back of her head. Her eyes were half-lidded as she was still tired and sleepy from their late entrance from the previous night. Not that she regretted it. But Chinatsu didn't understand why they had to wake up so goddamn early.

Raidou took up the lead as the leader of the small group, meeting up with the Kazekage and bowed. "Kazekage," he greeted.

Gaara looked over at the group, his teal eyes wandering around till he was satisfied. "Temari and Kankuro will be joining you in the quest of the Wise Woman," he started. "There is also another person who is to join your group at my request."

"Shouldn't we be keeping this mission as small as possible?"

"In this case, this man is needed." Gaara's eyes slid over to the side, towards the building where a shadowed figure stood. "Yusuke is well acquainted with the Wise Woman and has been with her since time began."

A small man approached the group at the Kazekage's signal. He smiled at them. "Greetings, old friends," he said in a wheezing voice. There was a cane in his hand, helping his old creaky body move across the space between.

"Good morning, Yusuke-san," Raidou said.

Gaara slightly turned his head towards Temari's direction, staring off into the place where the Konohagakure shinobi and his siblings will soon be headed. "Don't embarrass me, Temari. Take them to the Wise Woman. They pose no ill will. Kankuro, make sure she's level-headed and unrash." As his two older siblings nodded, Gaara disappeared in a wisp of sand and went to take care of his duties.

Temari regarded the shinobi with distrustful eyes. "Are we ready?"

Before Raidou could nod, a sharp piercing cry of a hawk swept through the sky. The red-tailed hawk tilted its head and noticed Raidou. It nose-dived, flapping out its wings last minute before landing upon the man's shoulder. It pecked at his head, urging him to take the black scroll.

Raidou was quick.

It was one thing for a red-tail hawk to come and deliver them a message of urgency, but it was another when it delivered a black scroll which was only meant for dire and desperate situations.

The men watched as Raidou's eyes scanned the parchment with narrowed eyes. When he was finally done, he slowly lowered the scroll and looked at his comrades. "Konhagakure has been attacked."

"What?" Ebisu gasped.

Raidou's eyes glanced at Kakashi before looking away, clearing his throat. "It seems as if Orochimaru has successfully taken over Sasuke's body. The sannin is attacking the village, as well as the Akatsuki."

"Are they working together?" Yamato asked.

"No. They are continuously fighting against one another. It's literally a battle royal." Raidou stared at Chinatsu who was humming beneath her breath and drawing on the sand with the toe of her sandal, completely oblivious to the war in his home village just for her capture. "They want us to hurry up and deal with this, as we are already almost done. The council is assuming neighboring villages will take advantage of the situation and attack Konohagkaure as well. They will give us further instructions on our arrival."

Kakashi frowned at his word choice. "They?"

Raidou grimaced. "The council is in control. Tsunade is MIA…."

"Who else?"

"…As well as Uzumaki Naruto."

**Wooooo! It's getting intense! This chapter was carried on from the last one, it wasn't something I couldn't avoid. But to fulfill the lack of action, I have put some comedy relief and important information at the end! And let me tell you something, the next chapter is full of surprises and intense action. And maybe some action between Kakashi and Chinatsu, ehhhh? ;D **

**WOOT! Now, I'm off to update another story! **

**Thank you for the reviews! Glad to see a lot of followers!**

**KizunaCho** Akari . Wolf . Princess _PhoenixRain26_ **Lavynya** puternic _hannahnicole9_ **haipa-chan** Eternal Cat Moon _Brooklyn-nyc_ **Thomas Drovin** KitsuneNEh _RandomCitizen_ **Kamea76** minniemousemom

**Guest – **Here's another chapter!

**Taiyou-mayonaka – **I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! Haha, it was something that came randomly but I'm pleased to see that it's kicking off with a great storyline!

**BlueJell-o – **I can totally agree with you and say that Chinatsu is a bit of a dork, lol. She's not your average heroine, that's what! I've tried to spell check, but sometimes I don't know why Word Office doesn't catch it :( I hope the grammar/spelling aren't too drastic!

**SummerAngelz – **Haha, I'm glad I got it right! Shukaku is a bit of a hellion demon!


	21. Wise Woman

**Chapter 21: Wise Woman**

Holy shit.

Jesus Christ.

It was hot.

Smoldering hot.

Chinatsu was panting heavily, wrapped up in the ugly sweater Genma had gotten for her yesterday. She had tried relentlessly to remove it, but the rest of the crew was determined for her to keep it on. And she was. And because of that, she was suffering in the stifling heat. Chinatsu whined a couple of times, stealthily attempting to slid her arms out of the sleeves only to have Yamato popping the back of her head and adjusting the ugly sweater back.

"If you remove this, the sun will burn your skin," was all Yamato said when she tried to remove it again.

And she didn't understand a word he said.

Fucking assholes, she mentally cursed and glared at the back of Raidou and Kaakashi's head as she was smack dab in the middle of the group. The blond girl and the brunette boy were also leading up front. Chinatsu sighed, quickly glancing at the men before trying to remove the sweater again.

"Chinatsu, no," Yamato smacked the back of her head, bringing out a sharp yelp. "Stop acting like a child!"

Temari glanced over her shoulder with an expression of annoyance. "Let her remove it. She'll learn the hard way that burning skin from Sunagakure doesn't heal nicely."

Yusuke laughed wheezily. "I remember that one time I walked through the northern territory in shorts and a tank I use during the night! My mother swore I looked like a lobster! And there was that other time, where I did find a lobster in the dunes of Sunagakure, and it ended up to be Sasori's toy! Ah! I broke that toy into pieces. No wonder that wretched boy nearly took my life! And there was this other time…."

Genma, thoroughly irritated with the old man's stories grimaced. He said nothing though as they continued to walk through the desert. The Konoha group was quiet, contemplating over the recent message they had received from their village. The devastating news of their village in a current warfare while they were here trying to break the secret of the Senju clan took a toll upon them. Each shinobi had the ability and skills to protect their village, but they couldn't at the moment.

They prayed they'd be able to find the Wise Woman.

The shinobi continued to nibble upon his senbon, playing around with it with his tongue. It had already been a couple hours. Luckily, they were somewhat near their destination, which Genma was highly relieved considering the fact that the Wise Woman lived in the middle of nowhere.

He gazed at the back of his charge's head and smirked at the horrid sweater sewed by a blind man.

Not bad for a chastity belt.

Chinatsu felt her legs quivering as she was walking. Nothing, not even hiking, can be compared to this. She had gone hiking along with some friends in high school and woke up the next day with a body aching terribly. But right now, Chinatsu was more than positive that she was going to drop dead any minute now. She panted, feeling the sweat of her body soaking into the fabric of her clothes and matting her hair down to her skull as if she had just taken a shower. She swirled to Yamato, who looked fresh and clean, and whined, "I tired!"

Jesus, they must've been walking for three hours now!

Yamato frowned and merely continued to push her forward. "We still have to walk."

Chinatsu whined like a child and continued hobbling and walking like an old crone.

Kankuro looked over his shoulder to see the foreign woman walking awkwardly and couldn't help but smile deviously. "Looks like someone had a fun night," Kankuro said while wiggling his eyebrows.

Raidou glanced back to see Chinatsu walking as if she had something stuck up her ass. He frowned and nodded to Yamato. "Tell her to walk properly like a woman. She'll get hurt if she continues to walk like that."

"Hungry! Tired! Want water!" Chinatsu cried.

Yamato sighed, scratching his head irritatingly. "We've been spoiling her for far too long."

"We?" Genma snorted. "Tis you, Yamato."

Yamato's face reddened, but said nothing. He patted Chinatsu's back and had her walking normally for the first ten minutes before she returned to her awkward hobble. She continued muttering about her hunger and thirst, ignoring Yamato when he patted her head like a dog.

Then something happened.

Chinatsu froze, wiggling her toes and bounced on them to try and get blood circulating from her feet. Not that it wasn't but at the moment, she could believe that her feet were going to rot and fall off any minute now. She ignored Yamato's insistent pressing and turned her head to the east when she felt something in her chest tugging her towards that direction. Noise dissipated and everything disappeared. Nothing else mattered besides whatever was coming from the east.

"Chinatsu! Move!" Ebisu yelled.

A small click happened and there appeared her three beasts and a man.

"Stop yelling at her, you fuckin' mangy cur!" Killer B yelled, running up to the group and epically punching Ebisu in the face. Ebisu screamed and spun around three times before landing on the ground. The closet pervert whipped up and glared at the Kumogakure shinobi.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he snarled.

Killer B attempted to whip up Chinatsu in his arms but was blocked off by her guards. He sniffled and tilted his head off to the side. "I'm here to protect my girl, cause she is my world."

Genma growled lowly. "Pervert!"

Kankuro and Termari were off to the side, watching the exchange slowly, and were amazed to see a bijuu allowing the wayward girl to ride upon it. They frowned at each other and craned their heads to the side to see the other bijuus only to stiffen at recognition of one.

"_FUJASIN NO JUTSU!"_

Chinatsu brought up her arms to try and protect herself when her clothes whipped about violently. Kokuō neighed loudly and quickly darted to the side with his charge in order to dodge the bursts of dangerous winds heading towards their direction. Kokuō dashed to the one-eyed ninja and allowed the man to hold his charge and ran back to the mess his tailed brother was making.

Shukaku laughed maniacally. "You missed! You missed!" he chanted, bouncing around wildly and even going far enough to attack the Subaku siblings. He grew to his titanic form quickly and slapped them with the back of his hand. They went flying back twenty feet and landed with an audible thud. "Oh, I miss you, brats!" he giggled shamelessly.

Matatabi hissed and attacked Shubaku with equal size. "How dare you put our ward in danger!" He sunk his fangs into Shubaku's neck.

Shubaku cried out in rage and attempted to dislodge it only to have Kokuō headbutt his stomach hard. Both nibi and ichibi skidded through the sandy ground.

The humans scattered about, watching the battle amongst the demon.

"What do we do?" Genma asked.

Raidou shook his head. "Stay out of it. You'll die if you even dare interfere."

Yusuke nodded. "When I was a child, I saw Shukaku once! And that was when the third Kazekage…."

Kakashi, who had Chinatsu in his arms, walked to the group, keeping a steady eye upon the three rolling demons. He glared at Temari who as currently pinned down by her brother and cursing up a storm. As much as he wanted to go and give her a good lecture, he could feel Chinatsu's hands clutching at his shoulder's painfully with those nails. Placing a hand upon her head, which was currently buried into his chest, he smoothed back her hair to try and calm her quivering form.

This felt nice, Kakashi mused. A warm body and a willing woman in his arms. It didn't help that this woman was probably around Sakura's age, and he couldn't help but feel revolted about himself. Sixteen to his thirty was not exactly compatible. To those perverts who claimed age was just a number…well, jail was just a room, he supposed.

Hauling the terrified Chinatsu to Yamato, he gently placed her in his arms before turning to his squad leader. "What shall we do? Continue walking without the demons?" Standing here while the beasts were fighting wasn't exactly ideal, especially when they were needed home at the moment. Being a smooth talker, Kakashi could attempt to persuade the demons to stop, but he wasn't about to put his life on the line when there were other options.

Raidou sighed heavily, watching as Killer B joined the rumble. "I guess, we shall start walking."

And they did.

Soon after another two hours, the beasts joined the men.

The Subaku siblings were not joyful to find the demon who had possessed their younger brother traveling along with them, but had turned their attention away from him to prevent another collision of battle. It was not easy especially with the ichibi constantly harassing them to a point where Matatabi forced Chinatsu to seal the demon in a vase.

There was then, a small amount of peace.

Riding along Kokuō's back (which she was very grateful for), Chinatsu squinted and saw a small hill side that looked strange amongst the waves of sand dunes. Ignoring her starved stomach, which was twisting painfully, she smacked her dry, cracked lips and squinted at the distance. She glanced at a crowing Yusuke who pointed at the hill side and immediately started babbling about his youngster days. It took a few more handful minutes before the group stood before a cave.

Yusuke hobbled to the entrance and tapped his cane to the ground. Something flickered in the air before dying out. "Beware, she has two faces," Yusuke warned lightly with a cackle. "Let's hope you see the nice one!" And with that, he went in.

Kokuō attempted to walk in with his ward still upon his back but found that he was unable to. Something warded up was preventing him from entering. Carefully, he knelt down and allowed his charge to slide off his back. "I cannot enter. You must continue on. We shall stay here," he said, turning around and guarding the entrance of the cave with Matatabi and a bottled Shuaku.

Chinatsu hesitated, but was ushered in the cave.

The cave they entered brought immediate suspicion to Chinatsu. Despite the exhaustion eating her away, it didn't mean her natural instincts went deaf. She paused at midstride, narrowing her eyes as she took a look at the entrance of the cave, which could only mean danger lurked about due to Aladdin's movies.

"Come on, Chinatsu." Yamato placed a hand on her back and pushed her forward lightly.

Chinatsu immediately grabbed at his hand and held it. She ignored Yamato and pressed up against his side, unable to trust where the Yusuke and the siblings were leading them.

Temari turned to Raidou. "We need to walk just a bit further and then we'll be with the Wise Woman."

Raidou nodded. He turned to his team and assessed them. "As soon as we make introductions, we'll go straight to the point. Chinatsu," he said, leaning down so that they were eye to eye. "No talking, okay?"

Chinatsu nodded. "No talk."

"Good." Raidou turned and gestured for Kakashi and Genma to follow him up front while Yamato and Ebisu were at Chinatsu's side in case of an unsuspected invasion.

The group followed Sunagakure's most trusted soldiers into the depth of the cave. Light dimmed to a point where Kankuro was forced to make a torch from scrap.

Chinatsu gripped Yamato's arm with a fierce hold, ignoring the hisses between his teeth as her nails dug into the tender flesh of his skin. She couldn't help it. Fear coiled around her heart like a never ending rope. Not only were there low moaning sounds and dripping of liquids echoing throughout their dark walk, but there was also an eerie feeling creeping about; and it made the hair on her arms rise.

"Chinatsu!" Yamato hissed, pushing her hand away.

"No!" she yelled and latched herself like a snail.

A low whine of pain strung from his throat before he pushed her away. Yamato yanked up his sleeve and glared at the tiny deep grooves of nail markings upon his skin before glaring at her menacingly. "Stop acting like a child!"

"I scare!"

Yamato rolled his eyes and grasped her hand. "Hold my hand," he grumbled. "But if you sink your nails into my skin again, I'll leave you behind, got it?"

She nodded vigorously, but held his hand with a strength he questioned.

The group continued to walk forth, halting a couple of times as Temari and Yusuke disabled some chakra walls only to reapply them once they've crossed over. There wasn't any molting lava, booby traps, or hidden tunnels for anyone who dared walk through this path. It was just very difficult for a person to bring down the protection many strong shinobi's placed upon the Wise Woman's cave when it was strengthened by her power alone.

Temari hesitated at the last chakra wall. She turned to Kankuro who nodded at her before reluctantly releasing the last ward. The illusion of an endless tunnel slowly dissipated and was replaced by a flat faced wall.

"What is this?" Kakashi asked.

None answered.

Yusuke hobbled forward, mumbling beneath his breath before nodding in agreement. He placed his hand upon one side of the wall and murmured a couple words. The area around his hand glowed green and slowly a portion of the rocky wall disappeared. "Please, go through," he said, gesturing them inside.

Raidou was the first to do so. He walked ahead cautiously with his men following him from behind.

Chinatsu was holding Yamato's hand with steel as she passed by Yusuke and the opening. She blinked and squinted her eyes as light radiated from the inside of the place.

"What is this place?" Genma asked, covering his eyes from the bright light.

"My domain,"

There was an old woman sitting down upon the ground, wearing traditional flower-printed kimonos from back in time. Her white hair was wrapped up and placed neatly upon her head with a pair of chopsticks holding it all together in place. She was a small thing, really. Tiny and thin. The elderly female's posture was something that seemed like the elders from Konohagakure were influenced from. An arm, which was heavily clothed and hidden by the length of the cloth reached next to her to the small brown bag before flinging the contents of it into the water.

"I would say welcome, but I sure as hell didn't invite you." The Wise Woman didn't bother turning around to greet the men. She coughed deeply, her voice raspy and weary.

Yusuke closed the door as Temari and Kankuro followed in. He sealed it and turned to the old woman sitting upon the mat over the ground floor, looking out to the lake within the cave. There were torches spiked within the circular structure of the cave. But none of it compared to the glowing pearly orb levitating at the pinnacle of the cave.

Raidou frowned, turning to Temari and Kankuro to see that they were heading towards another direction. "Are…are you the Wise Woman?" he asked tentatively, clearing his throat when he realized how weak his voice was.

The woman didn't pause from feeding the koi fishes in her miniature lake. "Just because I'm an old wrinkly hag, you think I'm the Wise Woman?"

Raidou's face burned with embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry!" he said before bowing low. Genma nudged him in the shoulder. "We are a specialized team from—"

"Yes, yes, I am damn well aware of where you're from," she replied in that raspy voice of hers. The old woman continued to feed her fish. "There was word out for many days that someone was coming. What for? I don't know, and nobody knew either." Her head tilted to the side to look at Yusuke who smiled warily. "Fucking moron," she cursed. "I am the Wise Woman."

"Koi, don't be that way," Yusuke said, wobbling towards her.

"Take one more step and I'll slice those balls off of you, Yusuke."

While the others feared the woman threatening Yusuke, the man merely cackled and walked towards her. He held out his hand. "Come. Stand up and give them your attention. Your children have traveled many miles for your wisdom."

Muttering beneath her breath, she obliged. A small knobby hand was revealed from the long streams of her clothes and reached out for Yusuke. It took a while for the two elders to support one another until she stood, hunched over from years of gravity pushing down against her. "Speak and I will listen." The Wise Woman said. Her hands were clasped behind her back as she gazed into the water. She didn't bother turning around to acknowledge them.

Ignoring the rather noticeable irritated aura coming from the old woman, Raidou spoke; his head was bowed and he was kneeling on the ground before the woman who made all things happen.

"More than eight months, something unusual happened in Konohagakure," Raidou recited from how exactly his Hokage wanted him to converse with the Wise Woman. "A woman fell from the sky and into our hands. We know not where she is from or who she is. She is utmost human and had not shown any promise for power and destruction until recently." Raidou lifted his head and stared at the Wise Woman's back. "She has been linked with three bijuus so far. It is unexplainable."

The Wise Woman cackled humorlessly. "There has already been a man who contained the ability to control the beasts. What makes you think there can't be another?"

"The demons have claimed she is the reincarnation of Senju Hashirama. And therefore, she is of Senju blood."

Silence filled the area for a moment, and a moment too long.

Yamato glanced at Ebisu over Chinatsu's head and frowned. It was then he was ripped away from attempting to speak to Chinatsu (trying to get her to stop fiddling with her the disgusting sweater and moving about, really) when the Wise Woman started howling like a dog on its high.

She laughed hard and deep, even coming to a point of slapping her hand upon her thigh. The Wise Woman wheezed, coughing a bit before starting up the storm again. Yusuke merely stood there next to the woman watching as she continued her laugh attack with a small smile on his face. It had been a long time before the Wise Woman had come to a stop, but even then she was still snickering and chuckling as if she had been told the joke of the millennium.

"Ahh, I hadn't laughed like that in decades," she commented, straightening herself as she once again became of decorum and wisdom. "That was a fucking long time, and from Hashirama, too!"

Raidou glanced over his shoulder, standing from his kneeling position at Chinatsu who looked just as bewildered and confused as the others surrounding her. "We—"

"You have wasted your time here, men of Konohagakure." The Wise Woman cleared her throat and clasped her hands behind her back once more. "I have not only birthed the lineage of the Senju clan, but I have also kept records of every single legitimate and illegitimate birth of my many daughters and sons. I know their whereabouts, their ambitions, and their families. And I know that no daughter of mine has ventured with Konohagakure men for a simple question such as this."

"But, she controls the demons—" Yamato started.

"It means not a goddamn thing. They've probably chosen their whore," she said before dismissing them callously. "You are permitted to leave."

"There must be a mistake!" Genma yelled.

"Do you challenge my words, Shiranui-san?" Her voice was soft and light, almost as if she was laughing at the moment. "Do you doubt my very knowledge?" When no one spoke, as they were stunned by the news and outburst of the Wise Woman, she snorted unladylike. "Leave now."

They didn't move.

"Leave!"

Chinatsu didn't know what was going on, but she knew from whatever they were talking about (it had been too fast for her to understand) it hadn't come to an agreement. Chinatsu was exhausted. Throughout the whole time they were talking amongst one another, she was either fiddling with the horrendous coat Genma had given her or shifting from leg to leg. The travel was getting to her and making her weary. She can feel her bones aching and muscles screaming for relief. Chinatsu was almost tempted to sit where she stood, but when she tried Yamato yanked her up immediately.

They had promised her rest and drinks at their destination, but from what she could see, it wasn't going to happen.

"Yamato," she said, as the men started turning back to the entrance. "I tired. Hungry."

His steely face refused to acknowledge her as he walked forward, dragging her behind him with an iron-like grasp she had never felt from him before. She could feel the tension in the air between him and the others that spoke of rage, confusion, and anger. Chinatsu turned to the others and repeated her words only to see that they were ignoring her, and trading off glares of suspicion at her.

Snarling in fury, she yanked her arm out of his grip and pointed up at his agitated expression.

"_Look, I'm fucking tired! You said we were going to rest and eat somewhere, Yamato! We traveled over god knows how many fucking miles, but I'm exhausted! I know you guys want to go do your little adventure time and crap, asking questions about who knows what, but I'm tired. Please, let's rest for a while and eat!"_

In the midst of her monologue, she failed to recognize the widening of Yamato's eyes as he gazed past her shoulder.

"Chinatsu—!"

The men took a step to try and intervene before they were blown away like leaves. Chinatsu jumped at the sudden attack and tried to whirl around to see the danger, but someone had already gripped her hard by the shoulder and twisted her around fiercely.

"_Who are you?" _the Wise Woman growled, squinting at Chinatsu as if her vision was badly impaired. _"How are you speaking in that language?"_

Holy fucking shit.

For the first time of her life, Chinatsu was stunned, speechless. She gaped, blinking dramatically as she stared at the old woman, whose face resembled a bat's, in pure disbelief as she heard pure English, albeit choppy and heavily accented, coming from her mouth. _"Y-you speak English?" _Chinatsu squawked.

The Wise Woman wasn't pleased. Her lips thinned as she threw Chinatsu back. "Yusuke!" she bellowed.

Chinatsu scrabbled up to her feet, mindless of her injuries, as she quickly glanced back at her group to see them fighting against some invisible wall. Temari and Kankuro were standing off to the side, just as dumbfounded as Chinatsu, as they had never seen the Wise Woman act out in violence. Chinatsu turned around to see the Wise Woman hobbling towards her, and she started to skitter away. "Yamato! Kakashi!"

"Make sure she doesn't escape," the Wise Woman commanded of Yusuke.

"_What the hell are you doing, you crazy bat?" _Chinatsu yelled, her hand flying to her weapons pouch to pull out a kunai. _"I have a weapon and I'm not afraid to—"_ She yelped as the kunai went flying out of her hand.

"_English is a dead language," _the Wise Woman stated in her hard steel voice. _"Nobody knows of it besides Yusuke and I…."_

"_Well, you're sadly mistaken."_ Chinatsu snorted.

"_And Orochimaru." _The Wise Woman finished.

Chinatsu frowned. _"Look, I don't know who Oro-hoo-hoo is, but you need to calm down. I don't know what's going on and why you're attacking me."_

"_Because you could possibly be the enemy of humanity," _Yusuke said, joining the Wise Woman's side. _"It's unnatural for others to know of English."_

"_But I'm not!"_

Yusuke ignored her and turned to the Wise Woman. "Turn into your other form. It'll be much easier to fight." The man who led them to the Wise Woman had his hands flying in a flurry of movements, too long and complicated for any other shinobi or kunoichi to understand as a complex, string of words were murmured out of his mouth. The Wise Woman followed.

Bright light hit every angle of the domain, blinding everyone for a long moment before it began to dim down. Where Yusuke stood was a young man (not past the age of twenty) with suspicious eyes, glaring at Chinatsu as his muscles bulked and sheened from the sweat of the very complicated transformation. His baggy clothes that had embraced the fat, jolly man, shrunk to his perfection. But now there was a weapon adorning his hand, just as sharp and dangerous as his glare.

Besides him, the light was dimming.

And the young woman, who stood there, swept Chinatsu's breath away.

The young teenager, who had replaced the Wise Woman, blinked rapidly as if she was trying to focus her eyes. "Fuck," she cursed in Japanese. "My eyes are still fucking retarded."

Chinatsu shuddered as she stared at the young teenager. Not even the sound of Kakashi and the others voice of desperation and urgency deterred her staring.

The pixie-like teenager turned to the voice.

Where Akane, her sister, had shoulder-length hair in the past, this Akane lookalike had her hair well groomed cut just above her ears. Her mouth was slightly pouted as if maturity had gained upon the eighteen-year-old. Where the nerd of the family had only seen the light of the night with endless amounts of studying, this young woman here had blossomed during the midnight of all eves. But her personality had not changed at all whatsoever.

"Akane…" she said softly. Chinatsu ran towards her younger sister with a huge smile growing on her face until Yusuke had interfered and slammed her away. Chinatsu yelped as she was thrown away by a powerful gust of wind, landing on her back dumbfounded. At first, Chinatsu had taken this newfound glory of discovering her sister to be nothing compared to her awards in swim competition, but then she realized that this was not her world.

This was not her sister.

"Chinatsu!" Yamato yelled. Wood burst from his palms but was not strong enough to penetrate the barrier. "Dammit!" he cursed, throwing himself at it before he was stopped by an observing Ebisu.

"We can't break it." Ebisu shook his head.

All were riled up except for one. Kakashi stood there impassive, watching with one wide eye at the transformation of the Wise Woman. "I…I've seen her before…."

Raidou cursed. "It's too hard to break. This barrier's too strong!"

"We have too! She's defenseless there! She doesn't know how to protect herself!" Yamato cried out, desperate to protect the small woman. He turned to Temari and Kankuro, surprising them as he growled at them dangerously. "I thought no harm would befall on her!"

"As did we, but something happened." Kankuro said. "Look!"

Yusuke stepped away from the Wise Woman when she shoved him off to the side. The Wise Woman's face twisted with something of sadness, anger, and downright fury. She took a step forward, her traditional ancestry robes billowing about her in ire. _"Who do you think you are copying the very image of my sister, you sick fuck of a demon?"_

Chinatsu glared at the Wise Woman. _"Me? You're blaming me? Who do you think you are? I don't know who the hell you are and why you look like myyyy," _she emphasized. _"…sister, but I'm not a demon! I'm human!"_

"_Bullshit!" _And with that, the Wise Woman, in her small, young, petite form, had her hands flying in a quick flurry of movements. "Mizu: Tora no ninjutsu!"

The lake, which had been peaceful and tranquil, was now swirling in discontent. As if it had sense its mistress's anger, the water was pulsing with equal rage. Chinatsu watched in horror as the water took shape of a fierce tiger. The tiger roared and moved quickly through the air towards Chinatsu. Manifested by shock and stupor (despite her being here for quite a while), she barely dodged the water Bengal.

Chinatsu cursed as her whole side burned from the reckless dive. She stumbled to her feet, grabbing the fallen kunai and faced the magical water being.

She knew there was nothing she could do against it with simply a knife and did the best of dodging its swipes and tackles.

"_Stop!" _Chinatsu barely yelled as the tiger mangled her arm. She cried out and clutched her arm in pain.

Suddenly, the water menagerie dispersed. Just as Chinatsu all was good the Wise Woman was in her face with a katana that rivaled her mothers.

As a matter of fact, it looked exactly like her mother's.

What the hell was going on?

Was this world sucking on her memories?

Yusuke quickly decorated the Wise Woman's side with a second katana similar to her mother's. The two were circling around Chinatsu with deadly intent, keeping their heads low and body sharply on mission as the poor woman in the middle fumbled with her balance.

"_Who are you, demon?" _Yusuke questioned.

Chinatsu shook her head. _"I am no demon—"_

"_Liar!" _the Wise Woman hissed with malice. She then let out a yell of pure torture and rushed towards the foreign demon woman.

Chinatsu barely had time to deflect the katana with her own measly kunai, forcing her body to recognize its adept training from the past few weeks. _"I am no enemy," _Chinatsu said through gritted teeth, barely dodging another swing from the katana behind her. _"I come in peace with the men standing behind me. I don't know what we are doing as I have no idea how to speak the language."_

"_You are here because they assume you are from the Senju clan." _

"_I am from no clan. I am not from this world."_

"_Liar!" _the Wise Woman shrieked as swung her katana.

Chinatsu gasped and her hand whipped to her side at the stinging pain. She didn't look down, holding her kunai up high as she knew she was bleeding profusely. _"I don't know why you're angry or what's going on. I don't know what the hell you're talking about—"_

"_I'm talking about why you look like my beloved sister, demon." _The Wise Woman forced Chinatsu back with a push of her katana, sending the woman sprawling to the muddied ground from her water tigers. _"Now, you will be punished eternally for your fucking sickness, demon, and I shall hold the glory of putting you back into damnation."_ The Wise Woman held up her katana in execution, glaring down at Chinatsu with a face of twisted revulsion and fury.

In the duration of that second, Chinatsu was sure she was going to die. The steel hovering over her neck came to a pause when Chinatsu yelled.

The Wise Woman stood there silently with the tip of the katana nudging against Chinatsu's vulnerable throat. The steel of the katana gently pricked her skin. Blood oozed from the wound. _"W…what did you say?" _she asked softly.

Chinatsu breathed in and out deep, panting and staring into the eyes of confusion. "…Akane."

The katana was lowered and the Wise Woman staggered back. "Yusuke, she knows my name," she said in Japanese, her arm flailing behind him for stability as weakness gnawed at her joints like termites to a strong tree. Nobody should know her name with the exception of Yusuke. She was simply known as the Wise Woman to the generation as her name dwindled away. Her lover grasped her by the arm and held her steady. "What is she?"

"I don't know, koi," Yusuke answered honestly.

The Wise Woman frowned and held up her katana at the beaten woman. _"Did you look into my memories, demon?"_

Chinatsu shook her head. _"I am no demon!"_

"_If you were my truly my sister, who died over three centuries ago, for your fucking information, you would know how to play the violin and how to engineer a rocketship!"_

"_I am not your sister," _Chinatsu scoffed. She laid there on the cold, dirty ground of the cave, holding her wound tightly as she panted heavily. _"And as a matter of fact, I don't play an instrument. I'm a nurse, not an engineer. I…I…oh god…" _She felt her vision blurring slightly. _"I'm from…I'm from earth…."_

A flicker of confusion went through the Wise Woman's young, beautiful eyes. _"Who are you? Where did you come from, youngling?"_ she asked softly, almost motherly.

Chinatsu shook her head from the darkness and scrabbled back, pushing away the katana from her throat as a growing anger started flowering from deep inside. Gee, why didn't they start with the questions first and fight later? If anything, Chinatsu was too tired to be interrogated. It was a blessing it wasn't from Ibiki, but this was getting ridiculous. _"My...my name is Chinatsu, and I am not part of this world. I am from another world, from a planet called Earth."_

Yusuke and the Wise Woman traded glances.

"_What is your American name?" _The Wise Woman snarled, shoving the katana in her face again.

She merely swatted it away with her small kunai that fumbled from her grasp and dropped to the floor. _"Chloe…or Connie, which ever the fuck." _

The katana dropped.

The Wise Woman dropped to her knees and looked at Chinatsu with such heartbroken eyes the woman almost, _almost,_ felt a bit of pity for the insane elder. She reached out her arm to Chinatsu's face and barely skimmed her fingertips to her sweaty and bruised cheek. "Chinatsu," the Wise Woman whispered ever so softly.

Chinatsu smacked her hand away. "No touch," she hissed in her broken language.

"Akane, your sister's dead. She's not Chinatsu," Yusuke admonished, trying to pull the Wise Woman from her knees but was merely pushed away aggressively.

"She is my sister, Yusuke! Look at her! Look at her!" the Wise Woman snapped, glaring at the man standing above her as she gestured to the confused young woman who was slowly losing her strength. "I haven't seen my sister in over three centuries. Three centuries, Yusuke. My memory does not easily disappear; you, out of all the others, should know that."

"Maybe she's a reincarnation, Akane."

"Yusuke! She looks exactly like her and acts like her! She remembers things!"

"That's what reincarnations do! They are replicas of their former life! Remember Hashirama? Remember how you were so attached to him because he had your sister's soul? It's the same thing!"

"No, no, no, this is her! This is really her!"

"Akane—"

"Shut the fuck up, Yusuke!" Akane screeched, glaring at her soul mate with the glare of a thousand suns. She pointed to the corner of the cave and snarled, "Go over there until I fix this mess! I don't want to fucking look at you!" And with that, she turned away, knowing well enough that he wouldn't move, but keep his mouth shut. "Now, Chinatsu,"

"No." Chinatsu said.

The sound of her sister's foreign and heavily accented words made the Wise Woman smile wistfully. Her Japanese was just as horrid as she previously remembered. _"You're my sister, my sister Chinatsu."_

"_No, I'm not. I'm not of this world."_ Chinatsu lowered herself to the ground, panting heavily.

She frowned and glanced over her shoulder to Yusuke, who snorted, before giving Chinatsu her full attention. _"Chinatsu, this is your world. Jesus Christ, I haven't seen you in over three hundred years! I thought you were dead!"_

"_Hardy har har, I know your kicks and frankly, humans don't live for that long." _

"_The last time I saw you, I was studying for SAT finals."_

"…_you could've read myyyyy," _she emphasized strongly._ "memories."_

"_I went to the bug farm with Yusuke."_

"…_Kakashi knows that too."_

Akane wanted to rip her hair out and punch Chinatsu in the face. _"How about the fact that you used to believe there was a ghost in the house and you literally went crazy from it?"_

"_Memories, duhhh."_

"_Oh my god, Chinatsu stop being such a dumbfuck," _Akane snarled, kicking out at Chinatsu and making the young woman yelp as she fell over onto her back. "Jeez, Chinatsu, I know we just got reacquainted and shit, but you're really starting to piss me the fuck off." She crossed her arms childishly over her chest and glared at the people who were still blocked off by her barrier. Akane sighed and peeked up at Yusuke who was studying Chinatsu who an intense gaze. "What do we do now?"

Yusuke merely sighed.

**Woooohoooo! New exciting and action-filled chapter! :D Hope you guys enjoyed it. **

**This chapter is dedicated to **_PhoenixRain26_** who predicted and guessed if the Wise Woman would be Akane. She is correct! I have pinned down the Wise Woman to be Akane for a long, long time! And doesn't it just make this story just as exciting? :DDDD**

**Someone also mentioned something that I find very important to share with others. The question was:**

_**If Chinatsu lived with her mother (who only speaks Japanese) how does she not understand Japanese when her mother has been speaking to her since infancy? **_

**Okay, so basically the history of the Senju (modern) family is that Chinatsu's mother married, moved to America, and had two kids. Next thing she knows, her husband leaves her and returns to Japan without her, leaving the family "poor, hungry, and homeless" while he went off to marry another woman. A child can reject their ethnic background should the memory be too severe and painful for them; psychologically. Chinatsu ignores everything Japanese and does as much as she can to become 'American', trying to avoid every ****single ****memory of her father. Therefore, she has English names: Connie/Chloe. This includes constantly depending on Akane for translation during her upbringing. Also, as a single mother, I can imagine her mother hiring a nanny or some neighbor to look after her kid, thus rendering them unable to fully be knowledgeable about their roots, especially to a child who wants nothing to do with it.**

**The brain is a powerful thing. People can forget things willingly if it brings painful memories. **

**Thank you for the reviews! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. **

**Lan Yue Hime** Andysteve1311 _Oluhasuu_ **minniemousemom** Marina Rose _ren-hatake_ **Bilgen of the Freelands** nevvy _animagirl_ **Aoichibi** Thomas Drovin _invisible-gurl_ **Akari . Wolf . Princess** brooklyn-nyc _haipa-chan_**Ambivalentanarchist** KitsuneNEh _RandomCitizen_ **Eternal Cat Moon**


	22. Truth

**Chapter 17: Truth**

It had taken Chinatsu quite a bit of time to recognize Akane as her sister, despite the whole weirdness of the transformation from a young woman into a bat-faced hag.

"It's a disguise!" Akane defended aggressively.

And once the Konohagakure men were freed from their invisible barrier, they were quickly blocked by a young Yusuke. The Sunagakure elder quickly explained the situation, correcting a rabid Genma that they were correct in their assumptions that the woman was of Senju blood. And with that, the bug farm Yusuke used his hospitality to comfort the Konohagakure men and Sunagakure advisors.

But Yamato refused to be away from Chinatsu for too long.

It was definitely a sight to see the Wise Woman and the supposed reincarnation of Senju Hashirama bawl like teenage girls when the truth hit them. They groped one another, holding each other with such strong grips that bruises were seen on Chinatsu's arm and around Akane's neck.

The day Akane discovered of Chinatsu's disappearance, it was a dreadful year for the Senjus.

The police discovered of the miscreants who defiled the Senju residence and had arrested them immediately. But when they questioned about the eldest daughter's disappearance, all of the rock hard thugs merely commented on how she dispersed in a beam of light. Of course, they had been tested and were found to be under the influence of five different drugs, along with the intoxication of alcohol.

There were no traces to follow for disappearance. Chinatsu Senju was then written down as missing and dead within five years.

"_Remember that crazy guy you graduated with in high school? Yeah? Well, he was right all along,"_ Akane said as the two sisters conversed quietly in English. _"Mother Earth turned against us."_

The world had literally come to an end.

Something had upset the balance of creation.

The plates of the earth were moving aggressively at the wake of dawn. People were scurrying into the streets, huddling with their loved ones as the ground beneath them split and opened like a hungry monster. While the sky held such peaceful tranquil scenery with the beautiful sun and the wisps of clouds, everything below was a disaster. People were dying by the explosions of the earth, quick to greet death like an old friend as water consumed the ground. Tectonic plates were moving, and just like the previous happenings of Pangea, the continents were drifting yet once again.

Akane to this day has no idea what had happened to her mother.

"_Akane was with me,"_ Yusuke said. _"We were at the bug farm when it happened."_

Akane cried. _"It was so horrible, Chinatsu. I thought we were all going to die. The earth was literally eating itself up."_

It stayed like that for three months, continuous eating of the earth until one day, all the quakes and shakings of the earth came to a still. It was three months of rearrangements and managements and finally the world came to a stop. As if it was a rebirth, Mother Earth finally receded from its tyrannical duties and bled happiness and light into the darkening world. The waters retreated and the lands were back together into one piece—literally.

"_There were only a few survivors from different countries,"_ Yusuke informed. He turned to Akane and held her hand.

Out of the seven billion people co-existing in the world, only a handful survived.

And though the earth had stilled from its self-destruction, there was barely anything for the humans to survive off of. Animals were less in numbers and plants needed water and tender care in order to survive and grow. Humans attempted to carry on off of the basics, but others were unable to continue on and perished into the next world of their beliefs.

Akane and Yusuke were lucky to get by, day by day. Two geniuses placed together and they were pulling every single knowledge they learned from biology and historical events. Like the thirteen colonies, Akane and Yusuke built huts and built weapons from scratch. They collected flint and were even lucky enough to come across oil.

"_And then one day, we experienced something amazing." _Akane gazed down at the lines upon the palms of her hands.

They had taken into meditating, believing that it would help the stress of living day by day lessen. While the sun was shining and the few existing birds twiddled and twirled, suddenly one day Akane tapped into unknown energy.

Both Yusuke and Akane defined it as Chakra, as learned from the Hindu religion.

From then on, both Akane and Yusuke would meditate for an hour to two and gently tap into the source of power within their human bodies. They played with the colorful lights of their beings and were even amazed to bring it the naked human eye to gaze upon. It was then when they learned they could transform the beautiful blue light into something more practical and functional.

"_It was as if the gods had given this gift to us in return for the destruction of our home." _

The education of elements was the hardest, but managing to obtain all five was easy for the both of them. They mold their pretty blue lights into something to easily start fire or to produce water when needed for their small garden. Soon enough, with their chakra, both Yusuke and Akane were able to create their own secret garden.

It was then when other survivors learnt of their greenery and healthy life, did they become a constant target.

And it was then when they learned they could use and manipulate their chakra to defend and attack people.

"_Soon enough, we had others joining us and we formed a clan." _Akane said, smiling fondly at Yusuke. _"And taught others how to use it." _

Chinatsu frowned. _"Like the Senju clan?"_

"_Yes. But they were the second branch. When we had our children, they were the one who spread the Senju blood," _Akane mentioned just as casual as it had been with the world's destruction. You know, it wasn't like Chinatsu didn't want to know her long dead nieces and nephews. Pfft. _"And soon enough, with the years passing by, we had enough blood relatives to stand their own."_

"_But you're not old." _

Yusuke frowned. _"That's something we haven't come to know of. For some reason, those who survived the miniature downfall of earth did not expire unless it was of unnatural cause. It was as if we were immortal to death unless attacked or starved. Death cannot claim us unless someone was to wish us ill will." _

Chinatsu nodded, soaking in all the information. _"I have one more question. Why is it that everyone is speaking Japanese? Why not English or Russian? Or the Bushman language?" _

Akane nodded. _"Good question. We don't know, but the majority of people who survived were the Japanese. There were also Germans, French, and Africans, along with Hispanics, but eighty percent of the survivors were Japanese." _Akane crossed her arms and peered up at the ceiling in thinking. _"I'm not sure, but I'm going to assume it was because Japan had experienced many earthquakes and tsunamis that they were moderately prepared for this earth destruction, not knowing it was happening that is. Their subways and underground shelters are high tech compared to other countries that don't experience it to the same extent as they do." _Chinatsu's younger sister sighed. _"Again, it's a hypothesis. I'm not completely sure, but it seems rational." _

Chinatsu sighed. _"Japanese…the bane of my existence." _

Akane punched Chinatsu's arm. _"It's good that you're finally learning! Mom would've been happy." _

Rubbing her arm grudgingly, Chinatsu winced as she pulled at her wound. _"So, it's been over three hundred years?"_

"_Most likely not," _Yusuke answered. _"We have generations of children bred from our blood. We have no idea how much time have passed. Could be five hundred, and it could've been more. Our memories from far back are too blurry."_

Wow. Just wow.

"_I wonder how I got here," _Chinatsu mumbled, glancing over her shoulder at the men crowding at the other side of the cave.

"_Electromagnetic storm?" _Yusuke guessed.

She squinted her eyes at them suspiciously before turning back to Yusuke and Akane. It could've been. There were bright lights and the nauseating feeling of movements from space and time. _"I don't remember much of that day. I remember seeing Ga-ga-ji and—"_

"Ka—ka—shi!" Akane corrected and slapped Chinatsu's back.

"_Watch it! I'm hurting!" _Chinatsu hissed and grabbed at her arm.

Akane rolled her eyes. "Well, learn how to speak Japanese properly."

Before Chinatsu could spit out a venomous curse, the men of Konohagakure approached the Wise Woman and Yusuke from behind.

"Wise Woman," they greeted.

Like a suspicious panther, Akane regarded them with narrowed eyes but begrudgingly addressed them due to Yusuke insistence. "Men of Konohagakure," she said. The young ballerina-formed woman stood from her sitting spot, refusing to be lower than the men. "How may I help you? As you can see, I am being reacquainted with my sister and we have a long way till we're done."

Raidou knelt before the teenage-looking elder. "I am sorry, Wise Woman. But we have come for what we were seeking for. Now, we must return back to Konohgakure."

"There's nothing stopping you."

They hesitated. Raidou looked up at the woman and said slowly. "We are ordered to bring back Chinatsu-san to the village."

Immediately, Akane brandished her mother's katana. She pointed it at the defenseless and unmoving scarred individual. "You speak of fucking foolishness, man of Konohagakure! You dare take my sister away from me and I shall slay your balls from your dick where you stand!" she snarled.

Yusuke stood, holding the other katana in his hand. "What is the meaning of this?"

Akane narrowed her eyes. "You wish to take my sister away from me?" The smooth tone of her voice sent chills up and down Chinatsu's skin; despite her not knowing what the devil was being said, she formulated an idea from the defensive stance of Akane.

At this, Konohagakure's top men stiffened, slowly adjusting their posture in response of Akane's.

Kakashi stepped forward, holding his hands up in no means of harm. "We have strict orders from the council to return with Chinatsu. Because Chinatsu had appeared in Konohagakure," Kakashi started slowly, choosing his words wisely. "It is by the country's right that she is ours."

Akane glared at the white-haired man. "So, you're saying that my sister is a prisoner to your country?"

"She is tied to our country," Yamato corrected lightly.

"_Were you a prisoner or celled when you arrived here, Chinatsu?" _Akane questioned harshly, holding the point of her katana to Raidou's neck. She did not dare look away from the man's eyes.

Chinatsu stood up and pushed away the katana from Raidou recklessly (she ignored his sharp hiss), standing before the men. _"What are you doing, Akane? They mean no harm!" _

"_Have they kept you as a prisoner?" _Akane hissed once more.

Chinatsu hesitated and shook her head lightly from the bad memories. _"Yes."_

"I will fucking scalp every one of you cocksuckers!" Akane screeched, throwing her hands in a flurry of movements. But before she could utter a single word, Chinatsu was slapping her hands at her own, messing up the order of handseals meant of pure destruction and chaos. "What the hell are you doing?" Akane growled, glaring at her sister.

"_There is no need for this," _Chinatsu said. _"Do not hurt them."_

"Why not? They've hurt you, Chinatsu!"

Chinatsu had to literally hold Akane's hands as her little sister was going insane by the second. _"Leave them alone. They're my friends."_

"Chinatsu!" Yamato chided, frightened for the young girl's safety.

At this, Akane frowned. "Chinatsu, hm? Exactly how close are you to my sister that you refer to her so friendly?"

"_Akane, stop it!" _Chinatsu pleaded.

"They wish to take you away, sister,"Akane said abruptly.

"_English, hello? I can't understand a word you're saying, Akane! Geez, you know how I am with—"_

"Chinatsu, come." Kakashi ordered.

Akane's face darkened with anger. "Don't you fucking treat my sister like a dog, pencil neck! Do not forget that she has a higher standing than you, than those pathetic councilors of your village, as she is directly from my own blood!" She roughly pulled her hands away from Chinatsu, holding up the katana in line of sight of Kakashi's deadpan face. "She will be going nowhere with you, dog of war!"

"_Woah! Hold on! What the hell is wrong with you?" _Chinatsu darted between Kakashi and Akane. She uninterestingly batted away the katana, bringing a sharp gasp from Temari and Kankuro. _"Why are you being such a douchebag? Leave them alone! They've been keeping me safe—"_

Yusuke butted in before Akane had a chance to lurch at her sister and take a mean bite of her face_. "They have means to take you back to their village, Chinatsu."_

Chinatsu's flurried hand movements stopped. She blinked. _"B…but…" _She turned towards the men. "_I…I thought they were helping me escape…?"_ she said softly.

"_The village you appeared in, Konohagakure, is ruled by a Hokage called Tsunade, and she, by the council and elders. The council of the village ordered a high rank mission to these men to determine the origin of your blood, since you are closely acquainted with the power and image of Senju Hashirama. He was a man who could harness the demons of this world."_

Kankuro leaned towards Temari and whispered, "What the hell is he saying?"

Temari shook her head. "Whatever it is, it sounds intense."

Chinatsu staggered back, white-faced. _"D—demons?"_ she exclaimed. _"I can't control demons! I haven't even seen any!"_

Yusuke gently grabbed her flailing hand. Smoothing her right hand open, his finger rubbed against the silvery bitemarks permanently ingrained in her skin from the demons of this world. _"You've already bonded with three: Ichibi, Nibi, and Gobi. A cat-demon, raccoon-demon, and a horse-like demon._ They are demons summoned by your call."

Chinatsu pulled away, walking back until she bumped into Kakashi's chest, unconsciously seeking for comfort. _"Kitty is just a cat,"_ she mumbled.

"_A cat that can talk?" _Akane shot._ "Disfigured animals? Really, Chinatsu, come on. Use your head."_

Her trembling hands threaded through her hair. _"What the fuck is going on? What the hell do you mean by demons…I…I—I can control them?" _Flashes of Kitty portraying odd habits and behavior went through her mind. Despite her being a qualified nurse, there were still moments where Chinatsu was more than oblivious to her surroundings. Why hadn't she really paid more attention in this unusual world rather than accept the oddness for what it was? Why didn't she question everything truly like any kidnapped individual would?

"_Perhaps it's_ _because of the connection you are held here,"_ Akane answered the voiceless inquiry of Chinatsu. _"And not only that, but that is your personality—"_

Chinatsu rapidly turned around, pulling away from kakashi. She glanced at him with glaring eyes, glimmering with distrust. "Why?" she asked in her broken Japanese. _"What do you want with me? Why was I tortured and held captive?" _

Kakashi stood there as silent as the tomb he visited every morning.

Tears welled up in her eyes. _"Why? Why?!" _She wrapped her arms around herself. "_Doushite? _W…why?"

From Yusuke listing the tailed demons Chinatsu had come across, he had an idea of what she was asking. Kakashi's fist slowly clenched at his side. There was an odd ache in his chest from the distrustful gaze of Chinatsu's, but he merely waved it off from an old injury. "You raised a lot of questions," he answered carefully. "When tailed demons appeared at Konohagakure by random, we assumed you were an enemy posing as an innocent."

"Kakashi-sempai!" Yamato's protest died when Genma placed a hand upon his shoulder.

"You were very alien. We couldn't understand you. Therefore, the council deemed you dangerous. You were dangerous until the Nibi cleared your name as a distant cousin of Tsunade-sama. And you cleared yourself by revealing your full name without fully knowing what we were saying." Kakashi paused, but never straying his eyes from hers. "Now that we've discovered the truth, we must go home."

Chinatsu sniffled. "I…I dun und'erstand."

Yusuke's eyes glanced at the men behind Chinatsu. _"They were not helping you escape. You are still their prisoner. They merely wanted more information on your background."_

"Did you honestly believe you weren't a prisoner, Chinatsu?" Akane spat, forgetting her sister couldn't understand the words naturally flowing from her mouth.

"Wait a minute, that's uncalled for!" Yamato yelled.

"It's the truth!" Akane sneered.

"Perhaps to our village, they still see her as so," Yamato hastily defended, feeling anger and fury wrapping around his neck like a heating scarf. "But to us, she is much more. She is our friend, and we have taken care of her every step of the way. There have been mistakes where I was held back from helping, but never doubt that we haven't been there, watching her. Chinatsu is my family!" he fiercely declared.

For a moment, there was a hushed silence.

Akane smirked, the corner of her pink lips lifting slightly. "Of course, Yamato, the boy who was genetically altered by Orochimaru with the DNA of Senju Hashirama. Are you sure it's you saying these words or is it your body that's computing this relationship and confusing your puny mind?"

Yamato's face warmed. "Shut up, hag!"

The sarcastic expression on Akane's face fell. "Wretched man!" she hissed and leapt forward to quickly for the other men to respond. Her nails instantly transformed into silver claws glinting in the light.

As Akane swiped downwards at his face, she couldn't help but gasp and jump back.

There standing before Yamato was Chinatsu, with her arms spread out. She didn't yelp when the claws scratched down her face. Chinatsu continued to glare at her younger sister with the fury of a thousand suns. Despite the burning sensation of the markings, she snarled, _"Don't touch them!"_

Irate, Akane growled. "Why do you continue to protect them? They've hurt you! They've tortured you!"

"_They helped me…they've protected me…."_ Chinatsu wiped a hand across her chin, blood trailing the back of her hand. _"You might not understand, Akane, but for the past months they were everything to me. They are my…connection."_

"_I am your sister! I will be your protector in this new world. I will help you! I am your connection, Chinatsu!" _

"_Then come with us."_

"_Have you forgotten that you're a prisoner there? They have a hold on you and they will leech you like a parasite, Chinatsu!" _Akane stepped forward to Chinatsu, grabbing her by the shoulders and shook her roughly. _"What do you have, Stockholm Syndrome? Why are you acting like this? You shouldn't be like this, Chinatsu! You should hate them, despise them!"_

But she couldn't.

For the past months, nearly year, Chinatsu had latched onto them like a child. They guided her, brought her up from her pain and loneliness. They gave Chinatsu a new meaning to this existence in this hellish world. They meant everything to her and she wasn't willing to allow her sister to harm them. Despite what Konohagakure had done to Chinatsu, the wayward girl felt connected to the men who took care of her.

"_They helped me, Akane. Just…just understand that." _Chinatsu merely said as she sniffled. From the moment she exited her isolated cage and into the home of Yamato, Chinatsu had depended on him, on them for protection and guidance. And they had delivered it, putting up with her stubborn streak even when she refused to do the simplest of tasks.

Akane sneered at Chinatsu and turned away from the group. She raked a hand through her pixie haircut, ideas and laws flowing through her head for any help to have her sister with her.

"Wise Woman," Ebisu started politely. He took a step forward from his group, nudging her dark tinted glasses. "As we have stated, because Chinatsu had appeared within our lands, the council of Konohagakure has the right to do as they please with the woman. I know it must be very difficult for you to release your sister back into our hands, especially when she had been treated as a prisoner of war, but understand that if you take Chinatsu back by force, we have no choice but to declare war with Sunagakure."

A hiss went through Temari's teeth.

Since the invasion of Konohagakure by Sunagakure and Otogakure, it's been a very sensitive issue with the ties between the two countries. Though through the friendship of Sabaku no Gaara and Uzumaki Naruto was tight and pure, the councilors within both countries were too cautious and insidious to really trust in one another.

With this issue, if Chinatsu was taken by her sister, war upon Sunagakure could happen within a blink of an eye.

It was something Gaara would like to avoid, as he is trying to repair the reputation of his country.

Kankuro and Temari looked at one another anxiously before turning to the Wise Woman of their nation. "If that is what's going to happen, I deeply apologize, Wise Woman, but we must prevent that from happening," Temari said as she knelt before the woman who looked no older than she did. "My brother sacrificed a lot to gain the respect from the villagers and soldiers. I will not have someone trifle with that."

Akane gazed down at Temari before turning away, disregarding the blond woman. She stared at Yusuke and then switched her gaze to Chinatsu.

Chinatsu frowned, her eyes flicking from side to side. _"What's going on?"_

"Dammit!" Akane cursed, throwing her hand out.

The lake exploded, causing shards of rocks fly outwards everywhere. Water sloshed over the land and splashed everyone. Chinatsu barely had time to even notice what was going on when Kakashi grabbed her and forced her away from the destruction.

The cave stopped rumbling.

"Fine!" Akane snarled. She turned her darkening expression to Raidou, who was the leader of the group, and pointed at him. "I won't take Chinatsu away from you. I know the situation between Konohagakure and Sunagakure, and I won't give the pleasure to both councils of declaring war from this issue. But," Akane said, stepping closer to Raidou till she was an inch away from him. "I will join you all in the return to Konohagakure. I refuse to be separated from her."

"I shall go as well!" Yusuke proclaimed.

"No," Akane snapped. She turned to Yusuke. "You stay here. Konohagakure is experiencing another invasion. Should our country be invaded, they need you here." She stepped close to him and placed a hand to his cheek. "This is the first time in a long time since we're to part, Yusuke. But I need this."

Yusuke's eyes softened. He placed his hand over Akane's and gave her a tender smile. "Of course."

Chinatsu gagged behind their backs.

Akane walked to the end of the cave and retrieved a small bag. She placed in a couple scrolls inside and slipped the strap over her head and onto her shoulder. Walking back to the nins, she regarded them with a cold gaze. "I'm ready to travel." She turned to Temari. "Be sure to tell the Kazekage that I am traveling for a while. I won't be gone for too long. Yusuke, go back to the village. Protect them in case of anything."

"Always." Yusuke promised.

"Let us go then."

Within a short amount of time, they evaded all the traps exiting the cave and were under the unbearable heat. Chinatsu was again whining and plucking at the hideous sweater Genma had forced her to wear. She waddled towards Kokuō and struggled to climb over his back until he generously knelt for her.

Damn, she didn't even get anything to eat!

"What exactly is the situation in Konohagakure?" Yusuke questioned.

Raidou hesitated for a moment before continuing. "About eight to ten hours ago, Akatsuki and Orochimaru have attacked Konohagakure. Currently," he paused, his eyes sliding to the Subaku siblings. "Our Hokage, including Uzumaki Naruto, have gone MIA. We are to go back to the village immediately."

Yusuke whipped back towards Akane. "Akane, this is too serious. I'm coming with you."

"No, wait with the Kazekage. If the council even try to wave his decision to something unexplainable and atrocious, you stand there for both you and I and correct them. I will not have our village controlled by those manipulative, arrogant assholes!" Akane hissed. "I will go with them. I shall be in contact later tonight, Yusuke."

Yusuke's face was grim, but he nodded.

"Let us go then," Akane said, turning to the men.

The men from Konohagakure formed a circle while the others strayed from afar.

"_Chinatsu, get off the damn horse. We're traveling now." _Akane said.

Chinatsu moaned like a child about to throw a tantrum. _"I know! But I'm not getting off. Walking in the scorching sand for six hours isn't my cup of tea, Akane. I'd rather sit her than boil over the overheating land."_

"_We're not traveling by foot. We're directly transporting there."_

"_What? But how-"_

Before she even had a chance to fully for her question, Chinatsu was plucked off her seat from Kokuō and placed on the ground by Killer B. He gave her a dashing smile, nearly blinding her from the brightness of it, as he offered her a thumbs up.

"Keep safe lady, and call me for mayday, if it ends up being a cray-day!" Killer B rapped. And before anybody could respond, he grabbed her left hand, stuck her whole middle finger in her mouth to suck on it seductively before nipping it for the blood contract.

A hard smack rented through the air.

Killer B, who got the DNA, was on the ground, suffering from the glowing red handprint on his face. Kokuō stepped on him for good measure for harassing his young mistress.

With a quiet murmur to his young mistress, the five-tailed demon disappeared, leaving Chinatsu standing there in the unbearable heat with the edges of her lips tugging downwards. She turned to the other men and depressingly joined their small formed circle.

"_Chinatsu, we are headed for war. Stay close to us and we'll protect you._" Akane cleared her throat, strapping one katana to her back. "Is there anywhere we are supposed to be going to directly?"

Raidou hummed. "I would think the Hokage's office."

"That is if the invasion had dimmed down." Ebisu frowned. "It will depend on the situation when we arrive. We need to be on guard as soon as we enter the scene. We don't know what type of surroundings we will be in."

Kakashi nodded. "Including on whether or not if our buildings are still standing."

A grim expression was on Yamato's face. "Let's do this."

It wasn't as if they could leave the village. The nins pledged a serious oath to their village to take extremities if a situation to life or death came about. And to protect their land and people, Konoha nins were willing to sacrifice their life.

A heavy five seconds passed in silence before Kakashi pulled open the scroll and slammed his palm down in it.

All seven of them transported into a war zone.

**I KNOW I KNOW OMFG I KNOOOOOWWW**

**Dear Gods, how long has it been since I've updated anything? It's literally been a little over a year since I've updated anything at all. And that includes my fictionpress account. But never fear! Keep in mind that my mind is always (and will always) be on writing. **

**I won't go into detail, but the passing year hasn't been kind to me. I've been going through a lot of stress and frustration that I couldn't pour anything into writing. It literally had to be put to the side so I could concentrate with my RL problems. I know it saddens and probably frustrates the rest of my lovely readers out there, but I will try to update whenever possible. **

**I didn't want to update this story with a measley three pages, because it doesn't do justice. I bounced it to nine (which was one of the reasons why it took so long), so it's a bit longer for you all to enjoy! (: **

**I have read all of your reviews and private messages, and it moves me to see that everyone is still excited and adding my stories onto their fav/alerts. It's nice to know that there are people out there who value something small from me :')**

**I don't have the time to put up all your pennames to give separate thanks to each of you who have reviewed, but know that I have read them and kept them close to me! God knows that I always reread those reviews to make me feel a bit better. **

**For those who wish to add me on tumblr or visit some of my original stories, there are link on my profile. **

**I'm working on my Kimimaro story at the moment! So let's see if I can whip out another chapter sometime soon! **

**Thank you all! Much love!**

**MadameLeQueen**

**P.S. For those who are wondering what the hell went wrong with the world in this universe, just understand that that was the only way I could release all my anger and frustration LOL! By demolishing a fictional world to pieces with only a few survivors, haha. For those who have any questions, feel free to review and I'll try to respond!**

**There might be a few mistakes here or there! It's been quite a while since I've reread this story, haha! **


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